Days
by CartRAT
Summary: AU: Usagi has a run-in with Seiya, who happens to be a new student at her high school AND a famous musician. Usagi won't give him the time of day and, being used to more attention than he can handle, Seiya just won't have that. -COMPLETE-
1. I1 The Arrival

**Hi, my peeps ^_^ I'm back with a whole new story with MAYBE less drama (emphasis on the maybe…. depends on my mood when I'm writing the chapter). It's an alternate universe songfic that is written around a song which greatly influenced me to write this story and I hope you all enjoy. Oh, and I do not own Sailor Moon or the song or the translation*.**

**-**Rated M for situations involving drugs, alcohol and sex…** period (although, this is **NOT** a hentai [but probably gets close, hehe]). I would strongly advise to click back now if any act or reference of engaging in drugs, alcohol, and sex offends or will corrupt. **

**Thank you and I love you all!**

_Days_

_**Each word you casually exchange with me  
Is such a precious treasure to me**_

8:15 AM: the alarm clock blared out a fast-talking radio DJ rambling about the weather and traffic conditions: it was to be a nice sunny day with a high of eighty-two degrees Fahrenheit. Although, not much else was heard as he was immediately silenced by the flying hand of Usagi Tsukino smacking the snooze button. She snuggled back into the warm incubator that was her bed sheets and proceeded to drift back off to sleep.

But once again, her slumber was disturbed.

"Usagi!!" yelled her mother, formally named Ikuko, as she kicked her daughter's bedroom door open. "What are you doing still asleep?! It's already 8:15!"

The numbers: eight and fifteen were the magic words.

"OH MY GOD!!" The blonde odango-haired teenager shot out of bed and commenced on her much practiced two-minute dress-up for school. In less than thirty seconds, Usagi was already hopping on one foot trying to put on one of her socks while also trying to zip up her skirt and brush her teeth.

Ikuko rolled her eyes. "I'm going back downstairs to reheat your English muffin."

Usagi was already in front of her full-length mirror tying her blue bow on the shirt of her school uniform, though with toothbrush still in her mouth. "English muffin? What happened to my pop-tarts?" she managed to mumble.

"Well, honey, you're a growing girl and almost into womanhood. You need to start watching what you eat. It won't be long before all those junk food snacks you eat all the time will actually STAY on your hips," her mother protested.

Usagi sighed in exasperation as she was now in the middle of tying up her hair into her famous two buns atop her head. "Fine, fine, I'll be down in a minute."

* * *

"_And in other news: the sensational pop group, Three Lights, will be experiencing their first day in a public high school today. Sources say that they wanted to transfer from a private high school to a public one because of "lack of inspiration." Apparently their record label hasn't been impressed with their material that they've been coming up with ever since their latest two singles only peaked at number three last year in both August and November. No news yet of where their school of choice is, but I hope they took some pepper spray wherever it may be…"_

"_What for?"_

"_Have you seen women being in the same room as a handsome man, or worse, THREE?! They transform into something inhuman. And then they attack!" _

"_Lack of inspiration my ass! I think that women are the exact reason why they transferred. All of them go through them like socks practically that they ran out of their one-night stands at their other private school. And now they've moved on to other targets, especially that Seiya one."_

"_Y'know he writes and produces over eighty percent of Three Lights music?"_

"_What?! How?! With how much that dude's in the papers always drinking and partying with some no-name groupie, I'm surprised he even has time to sleep."_

"_Hide, you're going to have to accept that there are people out there way younger, hotter, and more talented than you. No need to be bitter. It's a fact of life. Oh and he has dated several models… by the way."_

"_How old is this guy?"_

"_Uh… he'll be eighteen… in July…"_

"_Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sitting right by Three Light's oldest fan."_

"_Oh wait, this just in: the school of where the Three Lights are attending has leaked. Supposedly it's-!" _

Ikuko enjoyed her morning cup of coffee for a few moments before the bell on the microwave oven had rang, signaling that Usagi's morning English muffin was toasty once again. Turning off the radio just before the name of the school was revealed by the two bickering DJs she retrieved the morning breakfast and wrapped it in foil. Her tardy daughter could be heard stumbling down the stairs in great haste.

"It's only 8:21, I can still make it on time," Usagi gasped through her hyperventilating, running into the kitchen to grab her breakfast.

Ikuko chuckled and then slightly eyed her daughter all around her face. "Usagi, dear, would it kill you to put on some mascara?"

Usagi grabbed her foil-covered muffin. "Mom, would it kill you to realize I'm not you?" She walked up to her maternal figure and kissed her on the cheek and started running out the door.

"Honey, you're almost eighteen and I haven't seen you bring a boy over. You're so close to graduating. I just want to make sure you don't end up a nun!" Ikuko made her voice crescendo to reach her daughter's disappearing figure out of the house.

"Love you, mom!" Usagi quickly slipped on her shoes by the door, opened the barrier from the outside world, and was gone on the other side before one could blink.

* * *

"Oh God, my head's pounding," said a black-haired cutie as he ran his slender fingers through his shiny, soft raven forest atop his head. The brightness of the morning sun did not help and the plan to walk to school sounded like a good idea the day before, but he was not counting on having a horrid hangover at the time. Even his designer sunglasses looked better than they functioned.

"That's what you get for partying on a Sunday night. And I told you we have to make a good impression today for our first day of school," spat back a copper-headed giant from behind his pain-ridden comrade as if spiting his child for coloring on the walls.

"Oi, but what's the first day of school for if we can't celebrate the night before?" a silver-haired shorty defended. He, too, was feeling the after-effects of a night of partying, though he knew to pace himself a lot better and was in a hell of a lot better position than his pained black-haired friend.

"Well maybe if you gave me another aspirin, TAIKI, I would make a good impression…" the raven-headed boy turned toward the brunette taking his hurting out on him.

"Seiya, I wonder what you would do without me. I feel like you would be walking around naked right now looking for shoes that you already have on," Taiki rambled as he reached into his designer leather book bag and tossed his hung over friend a bottle of aspirin.

"Or more like shoes with a hot girl in them…" Seiya replied half-jokingly and smiled to himself. He popped open the bottle and dry-swallowed three pills. Though afterward, he took a better look at the pills left behind in the bottle and asked, "these ARE aspirin, right?" being a little late in asking.

"Yes, yes, they are. Believe me; I don't do the old switcheroo anymore," Taiki reassured.

_Flashback to Taiki walking into the living room:_

"_Hey Yaten, how's your head?"_

_He walks further in to find the silver-haired boy on the couch, in his underwear, on all fours, barking like a dog at him._

Yaten blushed. "I still don't remember that. What was that again?"

"Doesn't matter, because we won't be having an incident like that again since we aren't going to dabble in any drugs anymore; you both remember what happened?" Taiki stuck his head in the middle of Seiya and Yaten as he put his arms around their shoulders.

"We all three tried to ride one bike to McDonald's at four in the morning?" Seiya spoke up.

"We kidnapped a lawn gnome to worship it and hid it in the closet, only to find out it was really a small child?" Yaten suggested.

"NOOOOO…" Taiki said glaring to the shortest one, telepathically telling him to never bring that story up again because it never happened. "Two of our singles consecutively peaked to only number three. We were too busy turning our brains into mush to come out with anything good. But now that we're putting ourselves in a new learning environment and going to clean up our act, we should have no problem being number one again, right guys?"

Slowly, they were approaching a busy intersection where their new school sat only a block away.

"Well since it worked for The Beatles, I figured we'd give it a shot," said Seiya.

"Apparently we don't have the skill to get high AND make hit records." Yaten accepted his defeat in cleaning up. "We're not magical… or British."

"Hey, why don't we celebrate cleaning up by having a party tonight?" Seiya busted out with the best idea EVER, taking the lead.

"Because that makes SO MUCH sense: drink to our sobering up." Taiki remarked sarcastically.

The black-haired leader of the Three Lights band turned around, now walking backwards. "Now you're just being a Bob Bummer."

"I think it's a GREAT idea," Yaten beamed.

"I might make myself dumber if I supported this idea," the brown-haired Light said rolling his eyes in snobbery.

The leader of the pack shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, I'll just keep all the ladies to myself-"

"SEIYA, LOOK OUT!!"

Next thing Seiya knew, he was on the ground and his head was not the only thing ailing him.

* * *

She ran and ran and ran. The heels of her black school shoes clicked loudly against the concrete pavement as she ignored the oncoming blister forming on the back of her foot. Usagi shoved the new and healthy breakfast into her mouth and masticated gracelessly while ignoring its subtle taste of cardboard. She continuously dodged the sauntering pedestrians that stood in her way of getting to school on time. The end of the block was near and it was barely 8:27 AM. She knew she could make it. Just after crossing this street, she would practically be at school. She thought about slowing down but immediately thought against it. Why stop now? Why not be three minutes early instead of three seconds? She felt today was a special day if she did that. The clicks of her heels became louder and quicker and her heart pounded faster in excitement. She was almost there, she was-!

"SEIYA, LOOK OUT!!"

In same second she took that last step off the sidewalk to cross the street, she was practically a step back flat on her bottom. It took her a couple of seconds to compute that she had run into something and that it was a boy…

…A very, VERY cute boy. Usagi could not help but turn red as two pairs of blue eyes locked for a moment. And she could not help but notice how his shiny black hair tied back into a long ponytail greatly complemented his deep blue eyes. But all physical attraction aside, she then realized that he, too, had fallen flat on his bottom. Though he was first to speak up and thus broke their momentary glance.

"Ah, fuck!" He yelled as he quickly retracted his right hand to his chest. The fall had caused Seiya to try to catch himself with his palm and the pavement paid him back by tearing off layers of skin to give him a bloody flesh wound.

Usagi gasped. "Oh my God, mister, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? I didn't mean to run into you, I'm just late for school and I wasn't watching where I was going and… oh God, your hand!" Her eyes widened when they landed on his bleeding palm.

The cute wounded boy just stared at her in astonishment… silently.

"Here!" the blonde odango-head rummaged through her book bag. Oh why did this have to happen to her? Literally running into someone and actually hurting them in the process when she could have been on time for school had she been paying attention. Yet she did not really have a scratch which made her feel even worse. Instantly, she pulled out a pink handkerchief.

"It's not much but it's all I have. You should try to clean up your scrape as soon as possible." She tactlessly grabbed Seiya's hurt hand to tie the temporary bandage around it. Though Usagi could not help but smile at her dressing job and tied a cute little bow to finish it off.

"There, all finished. I would try to help you find a place to clean it up, but I'm SO late for school. I'm sorry again, mister!" And with that, the blonde and her book bag were off again to school. She was in way too much of a hurry to notice that he had on her high school's male uniform.

Seiya just stared at her disappearing figure running across the street… silently.

"She had on our new school's uniform…" Taiki noticed.

"That's good since it gives you a chance to actually find her later since you couldn't even say a goddamn, "thank you." What's wrong with you?" Yaten demanded.

Seiya looked up to the other two Lights with the same astonished look. "She didn't know who I was…"

* * *

8:28 AM. Not bad for waking up late, running into a guy and dressing his wound. Usagi finished crossing the street and neared her destination of her high school. Although, something was odd; basically the whole high school population was crowded outside the entrance along with TV cameras and crews and Usagi could even spot a helicopter flying overhead. Two things ran through her mind: A. all that running to school did not even matter and she probably could have slept in a bit more and B. what the hell was going on?

The blonde odango-head pulled out her cell phone from her book bag to text her best friend.

"**Mina whats going on??? Are u at the entrance?"**

"**Where r u?"**

"**Behind the crowd on the sidewalk by 35****th**** st"**

"**Stay where u r!! Im coming to get u :)"**

Usagi did not wait long before she saw her other golden-haired half emerge through the crowd of people with an extra bounce in her step. A big smile was plastered on her face and her eyes sparkled in excitement as she neared her confused friend. The plain red bow that usually styled her long, thick hair up halfway was looking extra glittery as well…

"Mina, what's going on?"

"The best thing in the world is happening: the Three Lights are coming to our school!" Minako could not help but yell.

"Three Lights…? Who are they again?" Usagi raised an eyebrow in thought.

"Three Lights! C'mon, Usagi, "Shooting Star," "Unrequited Love"…?" All Minako could list were the only two singles the band had come out with that were unfortunate enough to only peak to number three.

Usagi opened her mouth as if to say something, but quickly shook her head as the light bulb above her head shorted out.

Minako rolled her eyes but nothing could damper her day. She just smiled even more. "They're nothing but the hottest boys in music ever!"

"Oh, they're celebrities?!" Light bulb on again.

"Usagi, you're hopeless. C'mon, everyone's in the crowd waiting! The Three Lights haven't shown up yet and I don't want to miss it when they come!" Minako did not want to waste another minute mindlessly chatting with her friend and grabbed her hand to drag her through the crowd to meet the other members of their group of friends.

Usagi's arm was almost ripped off by Minako slowly dragging her through the heavy crowd of people. Ignoring snide remarks from avid Three Lights fans for pushing them, the two friends finally made it to where their two other friends were waiting.

"Usagi, you made it! Are you excited?! I can't believe the Three Lights are attending our school!" beamed Makoto, the brown-haired six-foot tall beauty of the group. Usagi could point out the same sparkle in her eyes as Minako.

"Wow, you're into them too, Makoto?" Usagi could not believe that she missed out on their fandom or just simply missed it.

"Oi, Usagi, I'm surprised YOU'RE not into them. They're all so cute." Came a calm, soft voice from behind.

"You too, Ami?" Now the odango-head was just disappointed in her self. And Ami being such a fan was a surprise. The quiet and intelligent girl with the short blue hair was thought more likely to be found with her nose in a book at all times than listening to mainstream music.

"ESPECIALLY Ami, she's number twenty-five in their fan club!" Minako enviously stated.

"I like Taiki the best…" Ami continued with a blushing face.

"Ah… Seiya is my favorite…" Makoto was soon staring off into space with a bit of drool dripping from her mouth.

"Yaten is the one for me." Minako sighed, forgetting her jealousy of the timeliness of her smart friend.

Usagi could not help but feel smothered by such fanaticism and way out of place. She really just wanted to get a good look at them. Quickly, she made a mental note to look them up on the internet after school in case she would ever run into one of them in the future and would not look stupid not knowing their respective names and such. Usagi blushed at the thought of talking to one. They would definitely have to be cute if they could cause this much of a fuss.

But then again, she already had an object of affection so her curiosity was purely platonic.

"THEY'RE HERE!! THEY'RE HERE!! OHMIGOD THEY'RE COMING!!!"

* * *

The three boys finished crossing the street as they slowly approached their new place of education. Taiki and Yaten were both dusting each other off and fixing their appearances while Seiya was busy focusing on his bandaged hand… and her.

"I mean, I thought being ranked number one in the whole country as the male singer you would want as a lover would be enough. But she STILL didn't know-"

"Seiya, concentrate! Right now we have to make our entrance." Taiki stated as he then started a last-minute primping on the leader of the band.

"Oh, fine." Seiya admitted. He straightened his jacket and ran his hand through his hair a bit trying to forget about the girl who knocked him down, but mission: failed. For some reason, he just could not get his mind off it. Beside the fact she was cute, it was just inconceivable to him that a girl his age would not know of him; and she plagued his thoughts.

"Three Lights, you're finally here!" A large man in a suit—a bodyguard—said as he approached the three teenage boys. "What took you guys so long? The principal's not happy that you've caused such a commotion and made him have to start school three minutes late."

"Sorry, Roger, it was my fault. I had trouble waking up." Seiya confessed half-lying.

"That's fine, just make your entrance. We have the crowd blocked off and tight security. Hurry!"

The three boys walked closer to the entrance only to be welcomed with a loud screech by the many female fans in the crowd. Miscellaneous items such as flowers, bras, and torn papers with names and cell phone numbers suddenly littered the walkway. Each Light basked in the attention and smiled and gestured to their fanatic soon-to-be fellow schoolmates. As he grinned and waved his hand, Seiya immediately looked around at each woman and sized up the girls who would be good contenders for him to sleep with in his head, but he also tried to look for the peculiar girl who ran into him on the street. Yet he could not pick out the just as peculiar hairstyle that he noticed she donned out of the huge riot.

* * *

"Ah, I can't see!! Stop pushing me! Ow, that was my foot!! I can't breathe!" Usagi yelled as she felt the effects of an overexcited crowd.

"Mako, what do you see?" Minako asked the tall one, also trying to push off other fan girls.

Even Makoto had to crane her neck to get a good look over the hundreds of heads that stood between her and the Three Lights. "Uh… I see… I see a brown smudge!"

Ami gasped, "That must be Taiki!" Guessing that was the top of his head Makoto was describing.

"Guys, what's the use? They're going to school with us for the whole year. You have plenty of time to get a better look at them," Usagi reasoned. The crowd seemed to be getting more anxious as the pushing started to get overbearing and now all she wanted to do was just go home.

As if her prayers were answered, the school principal came out with a bullhorn.

"All right, students. The Three Lights have entered the school and you should too. If you are not in your designated classrooms seated in your desks in five minutes, you will be counted tardy and be given a Saturday detention."

Suddenly, the crowd started pushing the four girls toward the school and there was nothing they could do but be swept up in the direction of it.

"Don't worry, Usagi, I'll make sure by the end of the day you'll see how cute they are." Minako said sympathetically smiling at her distressed friend.

* * *

Usagi sighed in relief as she fell into her assigned seat in her homeroom. She had never felt so violated in her life as to be pushed and jumped all over. But it at least saved her from a detention for being late and so she considered the Three Lights' attendance a blessing. Still, she could not believe that three boys could cause such a fuss with the whole school. It better be worth it.

She closed her eyes for just a couple of seconds to get in some sleep that she sacrificed only to be trampled all over. And it indeed was only a couple of seconds; for Minako ran over to Usagi's desk panting like a sick dog and scared her awake.

"Usagi, word on the street says that the Three Lights are going to be IN OUR HOMEROOM! AHH!" The odango-head saw a gleam in her friend's eye that she had never witnessed before.

Yet, Usagi's ears perked. "Really? You think it's true?"

Minako nodded furiously. "Yes! Risa says so and she's usually over ninety percent correct with her gossip."

"Over ninety percent correct? How did you manage to calculate that?"

"Ami did, actually, when she heard about it." Minako said, cocking her head in the direction of Ami's desk. Usagi looked over to her short-haired friend to see her giving a thumbs-up.

Minako let out a little squeal. "I don't know what I'd do if it were true…"

Suddenly, the first period teacher walked into the classroom clapping her hands to get the attention of the students. "All right, ladies and gentlemen, in your seats! In your seats, please!"

All the students reluctantly paused in current conversations with their classmates to find their assigned desk, complying with the teacher's request.

"In case some of you haven't heard the rumor, the Three Lights are supposed be students here in this classroom. So, I'm here to clear up any confusion and say that…" the teacher held onto the complementizer just for the sake of dramatic effect. All of the students leaned over their desks as they waited for the teacher to finish her sentence.

"…it's true."

As if on cue, every girl screeched to their heart's content while the boys covered their ears in annoyance and ultimately jealousy. Though, Usagi joined the boys in covering her figurative bleeding ears.

"All right, class, please quiet down…" the teacher softly commanded, trying to compose her class. Unfortunately her request of silence was lost within the loud babbling of the excited fan girls.

"BE QUIET, NOWWWWWWWW!!" she finally yelled. Fear now washed over the students' faces as they sat silently at attention so as to not feel the wrath of their teacher once again.

She smiled at her success. "Thank you. Please welcome your new classmates." She said before turning toward the doorway and motioning for them to enter.

With Seiya in the lead, followed by Taiki and Yaten, the Three Lights strolled in the classroom taking in the lovesick stares. Chatter and giggles filled the air as Seiya took the liberty to scan the row of students for cute girls until his eyes rested on one in the second row…

It was her.

For some reason, Usagi's heart started to pound as if she had just ran a mile. She had never known of these boys before but it was the hype that got her body in such excitement and she could not help it. She waited earnestly for them to file inside the room until seeing the first boy in line made her face completely drop…

It was him.

Just like in the street, their blue eyes locked in place. Seiya's eyes were a bit more playful as Usagi's held a sort of distraught emotion; not really for the fact that she did not know who he was when she ran into him on the street but that she pushed him down and made him bleed. And it was not just any ordinary cute boy; it was a FAMOUS cute boy. Her fear was that he was mad at her and would somehow make her last year in high school hell.

"Fuck my life…" Usagi whispered to herself as she tried to avert her gaze and cover her face with her hand.

Mission: accomplished. He had found the odango-headed culprit of his bleeding hand. And it was no secret that she was feeling uncomfortable; the blush on her cheeks was the same color as the stripe on the sailor collar of her uniform. He might have found his first flirt target. Quickly, he waved to her with his bandaged hand and gave her a playful wink just to watch her writhe in her seat. Public school was going to be more fun than he thought.

"Class, these are our new students: Seiya, Taiki and Yaten," the teacher introduced them in order of their standing position. "If you will, gentlemen, please help yourselves to any empty seats. And class, please help them feel welcomed."

"Hi! Hi, Yaten! This is vacant!" Minako yelled as she rapped on the empty desk next to her and waved her hand like a hyper child.

"I think she's a fan, don't you?" chided Yaten to his two other band mates as he chuckled and took the seat Minako had so desperately offered.

Taiki started in the direction of an empty desk in front of a familiar tall brunette when Seiya got an idea and quickly acted on it.

"Ms. Shiido?"

"Yes?"

"I kind of had an accident on the way over here," he showed his bandaged bloody palm to the teacher, "and I think I need to have in cleaned since I didn't have time to do it beforehand. Would you mind if I went to the nurse's office?"

"Oh my," Ms. Shiido exclaimed as she took a look at the wound. "Please go ahead. I'll have someone show you to the nurse's office."

Every single girl (and give or take a few boys) raised their hands in a frantic attempt to be the lucky tour guide. Well, every single girl except Usagi, who was still trying to hide her existence with her long bangs.

"Actually, Ms. Shiido, would it be okay if she took me?" Seiya asked as he pointed out the uncomfortable blonde in the second row.

All glaring eyes turned to Usagi as she looked like a deer in the headlights while all the blood rushed to her face.

The teacher looked to who he was pointing to, "Usagi Tsukino?" she asked very surprised. She could recall her students' bad grades, odd behavior and habit of overeating which she thought would not even attract the most desperate of boys.

"Ah, yes. We actually go way back," Seiya continued.

The room filled with a dull murmur as a hit on Usagi's life was being planned.

"All right then. Miss Tsukino, please show Seiya to the nurse's office."

"Actually, Ms. Shiido…" Usagi started to say, acting on impulse, "I hurt my ankle yesterday and I don't think I should be walking around as much as I can help." She gave her teacher an unconvincing smile.

"Well if you hurt your ankle, then the nurse's office is where you need to go. Which is perfect since you can show Seiya where it is." It puzzled Ms. Shiido that Usagi would not take the opportunity to show a celebrity around.

God damn it that was the dumbest excuse in the book. At this point, Usagi fed HERSELF to the wolves. She reluctantly stood up while looking to Minako for help, as if she could just by looking at her. But all she saw was her jaw dropped to the floor in astonishment. Usagi Tsukino was shit out of luck.

* * *

The two teenagers walked out the classroom silently into the empty hallway. Usagi tried to avoid all eye contact and even just looking in his direction. Her heart was pounding hard enough to explode out of her chest and her stomach was practically doing somersaults out of her throat.

"Listen," Seiya began to say, "I wanted to thank you for helping me out earlier."

Usagi looked up at the young musician. "Oh… uh, no problem; it was nothing. I'm sorry again running into you and then running off like that. I couldn't get another detention for being late."

Seiya chuckled. "You're welcome."

The blonde slightly smiled. For being famous, this guy seemed down-to-earth. "Well, the nurse's office is this way…" she said as she started walking down the hall to lead the way. Seiya positioned himself to walk beside her.

"It looks like your ankle's doing better…" The Light noticed.

Usagi blushed slightly. "The pain… comes and goes… So you're Seiya, right?" She really wanted to take the focus off of her and her poor excuse for a lie.

The raven-headed boy's face dropped. "Really, you don't know who I am?"

He sounded legitimately upset. It took Usagi back a bit but she decided to answer him the best way she could to control the fire, "I do now."

Seiya sighed. "That's okay. I guess I'm not as famous as I thought."

Usagi snorted. "What did you expect: me to drool all over you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact."

The odango-head stopped in her tracks. "Are you for real?

Seiya detected her halt and stopped as well to answer Usagi's question. "What do you mean?"

"That's a very confident thing to say."

He smiled. "Well I'm just a confident kind of guy."

Usagi shook her head in disbelief; this guy was one of a kind. She had never dealt with anyone on this level of arrogance before. She guessed it just came with the job of being a celebrity. Not wanting to deal with it anymore, she shut her mouth and started walking again.

Seiya joined her once she sauntered right by him. "So what's your name again? It's Odango, right?"

Steam started to blow out of her ears. "Excuse you?!" This guy had some nerve.

He laughed at his handy work of making her mad and coming up with a perfect nickname. "Odango, it fits your perfectly!" He patted one of her soft blonde buns atop her head.

"For your information, my name is Usagi! Tsukino Usagi!"

"Tsukimi Odango?"

"Don't call me that! My name is Usagi!"

Seiya could have sworn he saw smoke coming out of her nose as well. This was getting more fun by the moment. Once again, he touched one of the two buns in her hair. "I don't know why you're so angry. It's a perfect name for you."

"Don't touch me!" Usagi yelled as she swiped Seiya's head off her head.

"Ow… why did you do that?" Seiya asked, as he held his slapped hand that happened to be the one Usagi bandaged up earlier that morning.

"I just don't like it when assholes touch me!"

He shook his hand fervently trying to air out the pain. "That's never happened to me before. Usually girls always let me touch them."

"Oh my God, you're unbelievable." Usagi then started walking in the other direction, back toward her classroom.

"Oi, where are you going?"

The blonde stopped and turned to talk to her teaser. "The nurse's office is right there." She pointed down the hall to a door that had a sign outside with a Red Cross on it. "I'm sure your big head is smart enough to find IT _and_ your way back to class."

The raven-haired musician smiled to himself. "Well if you're going to leave me, I think you'll need this back." He untied Usagi's pink handkerchief that helped to put pressure on the bleeding on his palm and threw it in her direction.

Usagi slightly dodged it and watched it land on the floor. "Ew, that's gross!! I don't want that back now! You need to clean it before you give it back! That's gross!"

"Well it's not like I asked for you to tie up my hand."

"You douchebag, I was being nice. Of course I didn't HAVE to but I WANTED to because I'm nice!"

"You know, many girls would feel lucky to have their handkerchiefs stained with my blood… Give it some time and maybe you'll be thankful I gave it back to you like that." Seiya winked and turned to start on his way to the nurse.

If one put anything in Usagi's hands, she would have torn it apart she had so much rage. Now she was regretting ever thinking he was a nice guy earlier. "I hope you get an infection, Yaten!"

"I'm Seiya." He yelled back.

"Whatever!" Feeling like she should not be wasting her time on such a jerk, she despondently picked up her blood-stained handkerchief at the parts where it was still clean and stomped her way back to class. She burst back into the classroom as mad as a hornet as all the students and teacher quietly watched her stamp to her desk and sit down. She looked too angry for Ms. Shiido to question why she had returned without Seiya as she resumed to her teachings.

Only about ten minutes later did Seiya arrive back from the nurse with a newly bandaged and clean palm, "All better," he said as she showed off his hand.

"Ah, wonderful, please take a seat, Seiya." Ms. Shiido smiled.

He looked around until he saw Usagi again, purposely looking down at her notes to not make any eye contact. But he also noticed that there conveniently laid an empty desk behind her calling his name.

Usagi just sighed. This was going to be a long year.

* * *

**So what do you guys think of the intro? I know it's a bit long and believe it or not, I'm breaking it into two parts. Apparently, it takes me a while to establish character and story. I'm trying to work on condensing… hehe I hope you all enjoyed and I'll be back! ^_^**

*credit to masa and Divine Ayu for translation and lyrics.


	2. I2 The Beginning

**Author's note: Alright, the second part of the intro is here, yay! ^_^ And for those of you concerned with the first part sounding like "the episode," it's supposed to. That's just how I roll. At any rate enjoy, my peeps! I love you all!**

_**But I myself feel a bit embarrassed about this  
So if you knew, you would surely laugh at me**_

12:35 PM. The school bell finally rang to release the students for lunch. Like a bunch of cockroaches when the lights turn on, the class dispersed to the ends of the room to retrieve their lunches. After Usagi found her respective bento box, she turned around to be welcomed by the wide-eyed stares of her three best friends.

"Usagi, you have some es'plainin' to do..." Minako started.

"Yes. How is it that you and Seiya 'go way back'?" Makoto asked, almost demanded.

"Why didn't you return with him from the nurse's office?" Ami spoke up not wanting to be left out in the interrogation.

Usagi sighed. "Guys, it's a long story…"

"Well we have thirty minutes," Minako reminded.

* * *

Seiya was still at his desk gathering his notes into his book bag when his two band mates approached him.

"How did your little tour go? Apparently, not very well by the looks of her trampling back into class only two minutes after you guys left… without you!" Taiki stated.

"Yeah, dude, what did you do to her?" Yaten grinned. It was not a first to see a girl upset with Seiya but it was a first to see her so upset with him right after they met. They always waited at least a week before they angrily march out of Seiya's room with last night's outfit on. The shortest member of the band could sense Seiya's ego being challenged by this girl and he could not wait for it to unfold.

"I didn't do anything. She just can't handle me." Seiya retorted nonchalantly.

"Seiya, no girl can handle you. She was just smart enough to see through your bullshit early on." Taiki chuckled and Yaten soon joined him.

The leader of the band glared at his two friends. "What bullshit? When have you seen bullshit come out of this face?"

"You really want us to answer that question?" Yaten responded, raising an eyebrow.

"I think it was around the time he got rid of his acne after first year. That's when I noticed the bullshit come out full-force." Taiki observed looking to Yaten as he agreed.

Seiya gave one last death glare to the two jokesters and stood up from his desk. "Some girls are just harder to crack than others. She's no different than the rest. Just give me time." His dark blue eyes found their way looking to Usagi in her group of friends gossiping over lunch about her experience. Taiki and Yaten also glanced over to the chatting girls.

* * *

"So it was YOU that made him bleed?" Makoto asked in astonishment after Usagi finished her story.

"Okay, it's not like I purposely pushed him down. Besides at this point, I'm not really even sorry anymore. As far as I'm concerned, he deserved it." The blonde odango-head defended, popping a pickled plum in her mouth.

"And you actually stood up to him and left him to find the nurse on his own. You go, girl. I always knew why I liked Taiki the most." Ami smiled.

"Oh my God you guys, they're looking this way. They're looking at us! Guys, guys, look!" Minako squealed at a level that only dogs could hear while bouncing around and hitting her friends in excitement.

"Ah, Minako, calm down," Usagi pleaded as she rubbed her stinging arm.

But her plea was muted as Minako batted her eyes, flipped her hair and waved her fingers at the cute celebrities.

"Mina! Mina, stop." Usagi implored as she tried to swipe Minako's hand down.

"Usagi! I can't be rude." Minako snapped as she smacked Usagi's hand away and resumed to her waving.

* * *

"Who's the blonde?" Taiki asked, hinting at Minako.

Yaten smiled slightly and waved back to the bubbly girl. "Her name's Minako, she shared her biology book with me. She's pretty cute."

"I'd say." The brunette also smiled and waved to her.

Yaten's expression turned sour. "What're you doing?"

"Just being friendly."

"I called dibs! You've never even met her. Stop that!" Yaten started slapping at Taiki's fluttering hand.

"Wow, you've marked your territory early."

"Pfft." Yaten blew his long bangs out of his face as he gave Taiki a threatening glare.

"Boys, boys, there's no need to fight over one fish when you can eat hundreds of others that are equally delicious." Seiya said coming in between the two and putting his arms around their necks. "Speaking of fish, let's eat."

* * *

"I think Taiki waved to me!" Minako busted out.

"What?!" Ami's ears perked at that name as she turned around to see the Three Lights walking out of the classroom. "He actually waved to you?"

"And Yaten did, too." Makoto observed.

"I guess no one can resist the charm of Minako Aino. You don't think you guys befriended me voluntarily, right?" She said as she breathed on her nails and wiped them off on her collar.

Everyone giggled at their friend's joke.

While fidgeting in her position, Usagi felt a forgotten discomfort from only a few minutes ago. "Oi, I'll right back," Usagi said before stacking her bento box and standing up from her desk.

She made her way slowly down the somewhat empty hallway, taking the same route that she showed Seiya to the nurse. But instead of sauntering like last time, Usagi had an extra kick in her step to try to make it to the restroom as quickly as possible. All her drama with Seiya had made her so thirsty that she guzzled down her bottled green tea and it wanted to go straight through her. Just as she was about to turn the corner, she ran into something solid.

"Ow! I'm so sorry…" Usagi started to say looking up at the person she just walked into.

"Usa, you never look where you're going…" the person said.

At the sound of his voice, Usagi's face suddenly beamed in delight. "Mamoru-kun!" She yelled as she quickly jumped into his arms.

As his full name was Mamoru Chiba, he was a close friend of Usagi's—a friend who she adored completely and who held her affection. Usagi had never fully come out and admitted to Mamoru of her feelings but only expressed them through excess flirtation. But she still considered him one of her best friends. He was four years her senior and attending a university on an academic scholarship, yet still found himself at the high school being an assistant coach for the tennis team. Usagi felt she could not have gotten through high school without him and wanted to believe that he took the job because of her; but she also could not forget his devoted passion for the game that might have contributed… Still, who said she could not dream?

"Hey, how was your weekend?" Mamoru asked, gently releasing his tight embrace on Usagi.

"Ah, not so bad, didn't do too much… just sat around the house." After reviewing the sentence in her head, Usagi cringed in realization that her life sounded very sad.

Mamoru smiled. "I'm jealous. I wish I could do that on weekends."

She looked at him questioningly. "What did you do?"

"It's tennis season. Varsity team had a tournament Saturday and I had to practice with them. But I think I pulled a muscle in my shoulder." The black-haired man rubbed his right shoulder and moved it in circles trying to stroke out the kinks. Though, Usagi could not take her eyes off his pectorals that were outlined wonderfully with his tight polo shirt.

"Uh… well…" Just one last glance at his six-pack and… back to Earth, "Maybe I could give you a massage at our next tutoring session." Usagi said blushing, blatantly hitting on him. Not only did Mamoru hold the best friend position in her life, but also head tutor for the last three years.

Mamoru chuckled. "Another year, another math class; what is it you're taking?"

"Calculus…" the blonde proceeded to make gagging noises, "We already have a test next week."

"Well maybe we can make our session a date to make it more fun. I'll buy you coffee. How does that sound?"

Usagi grinned as her blush darkened. "That sounds… wonderful…"

"Give me a call whenever you want. I'm free every day after school this week so I can help you out anytime you need."

"Yeah…" now she had that sparkle in her eye that her friends experienced with the Three Lights.

Usagi's crush on him was really no secret, even Mamoru knew. Her empty gazes were become more frequent lately. Though, he found it and Usagi equally adorable. "Well I must be going. I have some homework I have to finish before practice. I'm glad I ran into you. I'll see you later, Usa." Mamoru said as he gave Usagi another hug and made his way to the athletic office.

Usagi just stood there in the middle of the hallway still in her own little Mamo and Usa world before the bell to start fifth period brought her back to reality.

* * *

As school finally ended, the shoe locker room was jam-packed with students switching out their shoes to go in to the outside world or for their athletic activity. For Usagi, it gave her a few free minutes to finish her "homework" for her anime and manga club. The club was working on a project of getting a comic published and everyone had to come up with a rough draft of a female protagonist and vote on which one they liked best. The odango-head knew hers would not get picked, but she did not want to show up empty-handed. She was thankful that it was at least a rough draft. Quickly, her pencil stroked on her paper while she sat on a bench.

The shoe locker room slowly became vacant as Usagi sped up in her drawing. Only two more minutes before she had to show up. But her work would soon be slowed at the sound of a voice.

"Oi, Odango!"

Her blood boiled at the given name. She could tell who the name-caller was without looking up. "What?!" she snapped.

"Such a pistol you are. Are you still mad about this morning?" Seiya asked as he rested his foot on the bench Usagi was seated on and leaned on his knee.

She snorted, still looking and working on her drawing. "What do you want?"

"I was wondering if you could show me around some more. I want to see what kind of clubs you have here."

Her gaze immediately left her artwork as Usagi gave Seiya a bewildering look. "You… want ME… to show you around?"

The pop star smiled his million-dollar smile. "I don't know anyone else."

Her mind was spinning; she could feel the goose bumps rising on her skin and the blood rushing to her face once more. Damn these hormones. Sure Seiya was good-looking but he was such an ass. The thought of his blatant arrogance quickly calmed her down.

"Love to help, but can't," Usagi said feigning a grin, "I have a meeting to attend."

Seiya cocked an eyebrow but decided to drop it. Maybe she was not lying. His blue eyes wandered down to her lap where her pencil and open sketchbook sat.

"What is that, Odango? Is that a tree or a peacock?" His dark eyes squinted to decipher the sketch.

"It's nothing!" Usagi yelled as she rapidly closed her sketchbook and stood up. "It's nothing…" She stuffed her work into her book bag and held it to her chest, half-embarrassed that Seiya saw her work and could not tell what it was. "Try the American football club…" she started to say, "You look like you could use a beating." And then she started on her way to her meeting, smiling to herself for being ready with her clever remark.

He watched her leave for only a few seconds, taking in her comment. Oh, but he almost forgot… "Odango, wait!"

Usagi refused to acknowledge his request using that name and kept on walking, unaware of the raven-haired boy jogging toward her. Though when he reached her, two very interesting and unusual things happened that made the beauty stop dead in her tracks: Seiya's face was only a few inches from hers and his hand gently grabbed her arm. A shock went through the blonde's body from his touch. Never had she been this close to a boy nor handled in this manner. She finally was able to truly notice how long, dark and thick his eyelashes were, giving him that natural eyeliner every girl lusted for, not excluding herself.

Seiya looked around the locker room, making sure the area was devoid of any bystanders. "Listen, we're having a little gathering tonight at our place—just something to kick-start the new school year. You should come."

"You're having a party? It's Monday."

"Don't concern yourself with such silly things…"

Usagi's heart started racing from the seductiveness in his stare and voice. But no, she could not give in. Every time she felt herself falling, she would pick herself right back up just thinking about his rudeness and haughtiness from earlier in the day.

"Well I thank you for the invitation," she wedged her arm out of his grip, "but I already have plans…"

He watched her walk down the hall without another word, her indoor slippers softly padding her way to her meeting. Maybe Seiya was trying a bit too hard. Having trouble conquering a girl had never been an issue for him, but he could sense that wall between them was slowly crumbling… very, very slowly though. If he was not anything it was patient. He would usually move onto the next target if one proved too hard to crack. But there was something about Usagi… something about this strange girl that kept him coming back.

No matter, he would not worry himself over it. He had a party to plan.

Right as he turned around to walk, Seiya just barely missed Usagi turning her head to look back at his body disappearing down the hall.

* * *

She watched the cuckoo-clock on the kitchen wall tick away the seconds slowly. Her dark eyes almost cursed the hands for being so sluggish, but she knew that the time would come. Her legs were getting restless and her breathing out of rhythm as she would let out a sigh every few seconds. Five, four, three, two, one…

Five o'clock finally ticked as Ikuko Tsukino squealed in delight and took up her martini shaker that was already ready with the mixers for her lemon drop martini. After a good few shakes, she poured out her fruity drink into her own martini glass and topped it off with a slice of lemon she took the time to cut. Ikuko always thought it best to unwind after a hard day of being a housewife and she shared her relaxation technique with her husband as well. But she of course did not want to look like too much of an alcoholic and always patiently waited until five in the afternoon for her daily drink.

Just as she took her first sip, Ikuko heard the opening and closing of the front door, signaling the arrival of her only daughter.

"Usagi, is that you?"

"Yes, momma!" her daughter sighed as she made her way into the kitchen. "Ooh, what'cha got there?" Usagi asked curiously eyeing the drink.

"It's a lemon drop martini. I thought I'd give it a try. What do you think?" Ikuko put her drink down on the counter and scooted it closer to her daughter so she could give it a taste.

"No thanks." It was not that Usagi was against alcohol, it was just that it and her body did not mix very well—rather, Usagi was VERY lightweight. All of her close family relatives can attest to that fact from last year's Christmas party when Usagi got into the eggnog. She made best friends with the toilet that night.

"Oh, I meant to text you today. I've been hearing all day about the Three Lights transferring to your school. Did you get to meet them?!" Ikuko asked excitedly.

Usagi giggled and sighed. Even her mother knew who they were. "Yes, actually, I got to know one of them more than I wanted to…"

"I looked them up on the internet and that Seiya one is a dreamboat." The purple-haired maternal figure fanned her self.

"Momma, you have WAY too much time on your hands. And besides, he might be cute but he's such a pompous ass."

"Really now…? Well I guess that's why he'll always be eye candy. There's always satisfaction in looking. I'll bet he has such a good body under that heavy uniform they make those boys wear. Such a shame he has to cover that up."

"Please don't say such things…" Usagi cringed. But as embarrassing as her mother may be, she was probably right. "Anyway, I ran into Mamoru today. He's still assistant coach for the tennis team."

Ikuko finished taking a sip of her drink. "Oh, THAT guy… I forgot about him."

Usagi rolled her eyes. "What's your problem with him?! You always say such things when I bring him up. Do you hate him?"

"It's not like I have any problem with or hate him, it's just that he's…" Ikuko paused her sentence to think of the right word, "…off?"

The odango-head raised her eyebrow. "Off? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, Usagi, you've liked him for so long and have practically thrown yourself at him for the last three years and he hasn't made a move. Anyone who doesn't like my Usagi is "off" to me."

Oh why did she have to throw that in her face? Usagi repeatedly tried to put that fact in the back of her mind. Yeah maybe she did come off desperate that she wanted Mamoru to be her boyfriend, but what else could she do when a boy she liked does not respond to her advances? Give up?

"Whatever, I'm going upstairs." Usagi turned to make her way up to the second story of the house feeling defeated and confused.

* * *

"Oh, Christ… Why must they always involve us in Seiya's sexual endeavors?" Yaten asked as he flipped through a gossip newspaper he picked up on the way home, holding a glass of chardonnay in his right hand.

"What do you mean?" Taiki asked from the living room.

"Listen to this headline: "Hide your daughters, Three Lights transfer today to public school." Hide your daughters?!"

"They're getting more creative," the brunette chuckled, "at least we're getting attention."

Yaten sighed in distress and walked to join Taiki watching TV on the couch with his wine in hand. "I still hate it when Seiya's drunken face shows up in the papers that our names are slapped on it too."

"Well as long as it's not our faces showing up on the front page, nobody knows anything as far as the public goes." Taiki said trying to calm down the silver-haired shorty.

"Did I hear my name?" Seiya asked emerging from his bedroom dressed for the night.

"No." Both boys answered simultaneously from the couch.

Seiya shrugged and took a seat in a chair next to the sofa.

"So it took you a while to meet up with us after school. What happened?" Taiki asked.

The raven-haired leader laughed through his nose. "I got lost…"

"Suuuure…" Yaten remarked before taking a big swig of wine, not buying Seiya's story.

* * *

The sun set and the city lights turned on within the blackness of the night. As many retreated back to their homes to rest in order to start their day all over tomorrow, one apartment was up and alive. The music played a mixture of classics and modern pop and the drinks ranged from beer to hard liquor. Already within three hours of the get-together, people were feeling relaxed and having a good time. By now, a couple was making out in the corner of the living room.

And Seiya was already feeling his lips and the tip of his nose go numb.

He scanned the room that filled with friends in the business, few new female schoolmates and close friends. Though it was a Monday night, people did not seem to care and drank their stresses of the day away. A few couples were already dirty dancing to the music and he could even make out a few of his celebrity friends cutting lines of cocaine on the coffee table, ready to snort them up with a rolled up 5,000 yen bill. Within that group ready to get their high, a rising model Seiya had intimately met a few times sat in her barely-there cocktail dress with a glass of merlot in her bony hand. Though, the dress was ready to slip off her at the slightest breeze since she had lost more weight. The raven-headed boy was still confused why she kept coming back for more, but who could blame her? A few of the girls from his new school eyed the drug-doers curiously still in their school uniform; apparently too scared to do anything except stand up, sip their sweet drinks from their glasses and gossip about the last time they got drunk. It was just another night inside the Three Lights' household.

All illegal doings aside, Seiya managed to spot a lonely girl leaning against a wall, just completely undressing him with her stare. Her big green eyes peeked from over her glass as she hid her face by sipping her drink to make herself more mysterious. Seiya did not know if her little technique worked, but he knew something did. Her rolled up her skirt from her school uniform was too obvious to miss. He strolled over to her.

"What's your name?"

"Aya…" she responded, taking another sip while keeping her eyes pressed on Seiya's blue ones.

"Well, Aya, are you having fun?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, I'm just admiring this nice place you got here."

"Why thanks. What's your favorite part about it?"

"The bedroom; which one is yours?" Aya's green eyes sized up the idol, asking for him.

"I'll give you a tour…" with one gesture, Seiya took Aya's drink and place it on a random table and took her hand to lead her. He looked up and glanced at Yaten giving him that "here you go again"-look and resuming to his conversation with their manager. He made his way through the party to find the closed door that led to his bedroom and disappeared into the darkness with Aya in tow, ready to do his deed.

* * *

7:30 AM. The alarm clock blared out an annoying beeping sound until Seiya's hand flew on the snooze button to silence it. Unwillingly, he rubbed his eyes open and gave his body a good stretch before sitting up, still trying to rub his face awake. From behind, he could feel someone stirring in his bed sheets. She was still here?

"Mmm… good morning, Seiya," came a soft voice from the depth of his pillows.

"Morning." He simply responded. He was not really a morning person.

Aya sat up swinging her softly-curled light brown hair to one side. The bed sheet was wrapped around her body just right to leave her nakedness to the imagination.

"You should be getting home. School starts in an hour." Seiya yawned.

"I don't live very far away. We can get some coffee or I could make you some eggs…" Aya crawled up to him and massaged his shoulders and arms from behind.

"I'm not hungry." He stated as he sat up in all his glory to retrieve his bath towel that lay over his desk chair. After wrapping the terry cloth around his waist, he opened his desk drawer and dug around for a moment before producing a 2,000 yen bill and throwing it on the bed.

"Here, money for the cab ride, Miya." And without another word, Seiya departed into his own bathroom to commence on his shower.

"It's Aya!" She yelled but it was futile, the bathroom door was closed by now and Seiya had already turned on the shower. Already on the verge of tears and on the verge of trashing his apartment, she balled up the bed sheets in her fist in a rage. Reluctantly though, she grabbed the bill and put her clothes back on and left, cursing Seiya's name.


	3. The Challenge

_**I want to see you, I want to see you  
I want to hear your voice at least  
And I sometimes call you with no special reason**_

Finally, the end of the day came. All four girls were on their way to their regular hangout at the Crown Arcade for some rest and relaxation. They had just finished taking their first big calculus test and all but one of the girls was stressed.

"Did any of you understand number thirteen? Because I just ended up drawing a picture of Artemis," Minako sighed, referring to her pet white cat.

"Psh, I STARTED drawing a picture of Luna on thirteen. That test was impossible." Usagi commented, also referring to her respective pet black cat.

"My problem was that when I checked my work, it never matched. That Pythagorean Theorem guy is full of shit." Makoto spat still upset at the fact that the possibility of her doing so bad that she knew she was going to have to take the make-up exam was great.

"Pythagorean Theorem?" Usagi asked.

"Yes, wasn't that the formula we had to study?"

The rest of the girls stayed quiet and looked at each other before Minako took up the torch to break the news, "Mako, we're not in geometry."

The bubbly blonde was met with a blank stare from the tall brunette. "What? I thought that…" the light bulb above her head flickered back on, "Oh… SHIT!" Now it was definite she was going to have to give up her weekend to study again for the make-up exam.

"So Ami, is it another gold star on the wall for another A plus on your record?" Usagi asked.

The blue-haired genius blushed. "I think this might break my streak. The teacher might mistake my six for an eight on number five. It's been bothering me and I really think I should go back just to double-check with him."

Everyone sweat-dropped at Ami's statement, jealous that all she had to worry about was half a point off for one wrong number.

"Oi, Usagi, why are you worried about the test? Didn't Mamoru tutor you last week for like, three hours?" Makoto questioned.

Usagi looked at her as if she grew two heads. "Mako, do you think I honestly see Mamoru-kun because I want help with school? Of course not!" her expression quickly changed to beaming. "I'm really thinking of telling him my feelings soon. I think it's time since it's our last year and all…"

"Really? You're going to tell him? Like, how soon?" Minako pried.

The odango-head shrugged. "I don't know… maybe next week."

"You sure?"

"I… guess…? What's the deal, Mina-?"

"I called it! She's telling him at the beginning of the year! Pay up, ladies!" Minako shouted.

Reluctantly, Makoto and Ami grabbed a 1,000 yen bill from their book bags and gave them to Minako as she laughed manically and counted her winnings.

"You guys BET on when I would tell Mamoru-kun my feelings?" Usagi was truly in utter shock and awe.

"Well when you're tired of waiting you get a little bored and try to make things more fun. Don't worry, Usagi, all our wagers won't be on you." Minako assured.

"Speaking of Mamoru…" Makoto started.

"…He's in that boutique right there shopping with a girl," Ami finished. Her and the brunette had stopped walking as they could not take their eyes from their discovery.

Minako and Usagi rushed to where Makoto and Ami were standing and all four pressed their faces against the store window. Inside, they saw Mamoru with a girl with long raven hair. Her school uniform being different from their own—it had a sort of grayish-blue shade to it instead of dark blue—probably because she went to some religious school. The girl was looking through the discount rack as she talked and smiled while Mamoru stood by her smiling and talking as well as he held a paper coffee cup in his hand.

"What's my Mamoru-kun doing in there with that fugly slut?" Usagi spat, her face red with anger.

"Looks like he's shopping…" Ami noticed as she watched him walk over to the male section of the store and flip through some shirts.

"She's pretty, Usagi. You don't think she goes to his university, do you?" asked Minako.

The odango-head glared at her blonde counterpart. "Yes, Mina, please just fan the fire."

"Usagi, maybe they're just friends. Friends shop together… and… go inside dressing rooms… together…" Makoto was trying to calm the storm but her plan backfired once she first-handedly witnessed Mamoru and the mystery girl walk into the same dressing stall.

All the girls' jaws dropped.

"Is that even legal?" Minako asked.

"Maybe in Sweden," Ami answered, although knowing Minako's questioning was purely rhetorical.

"How can you even get away with that? Those stalls are in plain view." Makoto added on, insinuating that Mamoru and the raven-haired girl had sexual intentions, "I mean, you would at least hear SOMETHING or become suspicious because they haven't come out in a while…"

"Um, you guys…?" Ami started.

"That's just gross. Just think of that nasty stench they leave on those curtains. Or worse: some sex disease. Ew!" Minako wrinkled her face in disgust.

"Guys…?" the blue-haired girl kept up.

"Children even go into those stalls! How can you be so uncouth?" Makoto's face became an expression of a mixture of repulsion and astonishment.

"Ladies!" Ami finally yelled, getting the attention of the girls.

"What?" Minako and Makoto responded concurrently.

The genius pointed her finger to the missing part of their group. Usagi had found herself sitting on the curb of sidewalk with her head down, trying not to listen to the distant comments of Minako and Makoto. The girls all looked at each other, accusing one another of not noticing Usagi's sadness first. But after the telepathic argument they all sat by their best friend's side.

"Usagi, we're sorry. We didn't mean to hurt you…" Minako said, rubbing her friend's back to calm her down.

The odango-head sniffed and wiped away a silent tear, trying to hide it with her bangs. "Don't worry about it. I guess he just doesn't like me back…"

"Don't say that! You don't know what's really going on. Minako and I were being careless and just saying stupid stuff." Makoto admitted.

"Yes, Usagi, don't assume anything right now. Maybe they're just really good friends…" Ami stated as she went to hold Usagi's hand.

Usagi nervously smiled and held her head up, rubbing her face with her free hand. "I know… I know… it's just that I thought Mamoru-kun and I were the good friends, you know?"

Minako sighed. "Well then he doesn't deserve to be with you anyway if it has taken him this long to invite you in the dressing room with him. You're too beautiful of a person and we'll find you a good boyfriend… a BETTER boyfriend than Mamoru can ever be." She took her friend into a big bear hug until it turned into a group embrace when Makoto and Ami joined in.

"We love you, Usagi!" The girls yelled in unison.

"Thanks guys. I love you too."

Minako backed up from the hug after a while to break the tension. "Hey, I've noticed Seiya's been sweet on you. What do you think about hooking up with him? He even looks like Mamoru with those blue eyes and black hair…" She elbowed her blonde equivalent.

"Mina, don't insult me." Usagi rolled her eyes.

* * *

He adjusted the strap of his book bag as he stopped in front of his classroom. The grades from yesterday's calculus test were posted and many students arrived to school early to check on them. Seiya was not the exception. His dark blue eyes scanned downward, looking for his high school identification number and then scanning across to check for his grade. He barely read an eighty-one before he felt himself being pushed and his heavy book bag sliding off his shoulder onto the floor along with it.

"Excuse you…" the culprit said as she maliciously shouldered the pop idol. Seiya turned around to catch the back of a girl—her bouncy light brown curly hair giving her identity away.

A few pens and pencils fell out of his bag as a result of his attack. Seiya bent down to put them back in their place while shaking his head and laughing to himself before he heard another female voice.

"I see you've taken a ride on the Aya Express…"

The black-haired musician paused momentarily and looked up to see a pair of long pale legs and the curly ends of blonde pigtails.

He chuckled as he stood up. "Aya Express?"

"She'll do anything with a penis, human or not. I've heard stories." Usagi joked.

"What about the Odango Express? Can I hitch a ride on that too?"

She scoffed as she lightly pushed him. "This train doesn't stop for cocky assholes."

"You didn't like that? I usually get a ninety-eight percent positive response with that one."

"You cease to amaze me…" Usagi rolled her eyes, inclining toward his cockiness.

"What if I get this close and say it?" Seiya took a step closer, practically whispering in her ear.

Do not look into his eyes, do not look into his eyes… DO NOT LOOK INTO HIS EYES! Just a glance into those steel blues of his and it would be the end of her. Usagi tried hard to keep her cool by taking in a deep breath. Thankfully, her rapid heart rate and butterflies in her stomach were easily hidden.

"I'd prefer if you were..." Usagi put her hand on his chest and pushed Seiya away to her arm's length, "THIS close and say nothing."

Secretly smiling to herself yet again, Usagi took her exit and walked into the classroom, leaving Seiya wanting more… yet again.

She arrived at her desk when she felt a vibration throughout her shoulder. On instinct, Usagi pulled out her cell phone from her book bag and flipped it open to check her new text message from Minako, who had not yet arrived to class.

"**Shopping 2day?"**

Usagi sighed.

"**Can't. I spent the last of my money on that gallon of ice cream last night :( stupid mamoru-kun"**

She pressed the button to send it, but she swore the school walls were lined with lead. It was the worse place for service and you were lucky to wait five minutes for something to send, if it sent at all. Sighing as she was tired of watching the arrow that kept spinning from her pending message, she laid it down on the closest desk at the time—which was Seiya's—for it to finish sending while she messed with her book bag to ready herself for first period. She did not realize, however, that her open phone slowly slid off his desk and landed in his chair… still trying to send her reply to Minako.

It was not long before Seiya walked in, busy with his book bag as well, and not noticing the flip phone lying in his chair. He positioned himself to fall into his seat.

Both teenagers heard a crunch.

Usagi looked back at Seiya, wide-eyed. "What was that?"

Just as bewildered as she, the idol reached under him self and revealed two separate pieces of the miniature technology in his hand.

She gasped, "My phone!" before snatching the broken object from Seiya.

"I'm sorry, Odango. I didn't see it there."

"You broke my phone… your fat ass broke my phone!" the odango-head was in shock.

"What?" Seiya quickly stood up to face the blonde.

Usagi looked at him defiantly. "Did you hear me? I said your FAT ASS broke my phone!"

"Okay, first off: I didn't mean to break your precious cell phone, second: I do not have a fat ass. My ass is pretty tight, mind you."

"Do tight asses do this much damage?" Usagi snapped as she held up her phone that was once in one piece.

"You know what, touch it. Just give it a squeeze, I don't mind! I dare you to call my ass fat again." He felt the Yaten in him come out with that statement as he turned around for Usagi's convenience and stuck out his bottom.

"No…" Usagi stated, looking at him and his buttocks in disgust. Although, the blush on her cheeks gave her away that she thought differently than she looked.

"Touch it. Touch it! I know you want to." Already, the argument turned into a flirtatious situation.

"No, I was just joking. I'm not touching your ass."

"C'mon!" Seiya grabbed Usagi's wrist and tried to pull it toward his rump, "I want you to. I want you to know that it was pure muscle that broke your phone."

"Ay! Seiya, stop!" Both of them had already made a scene and were getting stares from everyone who had arrived to class. Yaten and Taiki were watching with great amusement from their desks whilst Usagi tried with all her might to pull back from Seiya's grip as the tug-of-war of her wrist kept on. "No, I don't want to. Please don't make me do this." By this point, Usagi had laughter in her voice and her face was turning redder by the second.

"I can see it in your eyes that you want do. Don't deny it." Seiya laughed. Usagi covered her mouth to conceal the smile on her lips and to possibly conceal her tomato-red blush. "Just give it a poke. I'm not giving up," he continued.

She made the mistake of laughing even harder. And for that split second that she lost concentration, Seiya won the battle and Usagi's open hand landed flat on his tight bum.

He definitely was right.

Her heart did not have time to skip a beat as Ms. Shiido made her entrance with her classic and signature clapping.

"Miss Tsukino! Mr. Kou!"

Both teenagers were frozen in their positions after they heard their surnames called.

Ms. Shiido's face was one that emitted pure aggravation once she took in the sight before her. "I will not tolerate such disruption in this classroom. I'm issuing a Saturday detention for both of you!"

Another wasted Saturday morning for Usagi and it was all Seiya's fault. The now angry blonde snatched her hand from Seiya's bottom and out of his grip.

"Thanks a lot," she snapped.

"Odango, don't be so angry. A Saturday should be worth giving up in exchange for touching my ass," Seiya teased.

She fell into her seat and crossed her arms. "Don't talk to me!"

* * *

By the time third period rolled around, Usagi had calmed down a bit. Though, she was still saddened by not being able to shop with Minako and that her cell phone was no more. She knew her family did not have enough money for a replacement and knew that it could be weeks before she would get a new one. Her life would be over without her cell. The odango-head sighed deeply while idly taking notes.

Thinking about her broken phone, she also thought about Seiya and how he got her in trouble. Damn that stupid Seiya. He probably did it on purpose. But why would he also give himself a detention too? Ah, it was too much. He was too much; so gorgeous and yet so obnoxious. In her boredom, Usagi started to relay all her bad experiences with Seiya: running into him on the street, seeing him presented to the class, him throwing her bloody handkerchief at her feet, him-…

_Wait a second…_ she thought to herself as the gears in her head started to turn and devil horns slowly grew from her blonde locks. Usagi was already congratulating herself with the best idea ever that stemmed from one of her memories.

* * *

At the sound of the lunch bell, Usagi had to act fast. She opened her book bag and searched through its miscellaneous pockets until she found was she was looking for. In the depths of her studies, she pulled out the bloody handkerchief Seiya had used that was stored away to be forgotten. Thank God for her horrible memory and forgetting to take it out to wash it.

She turned around to see Seiya putting his book in his bag.

"Seeeeeeiya…" she said, turning on her sweet eyes and flipping her hair.

He looked up from his ongoing task. "Yes… Odango?"

"I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for this morning. I didn't mean to yell at you. And I also wanted to say that… I really did enjoy playing around. I know that it's not the first time I've been mean to you. I guess that just how I react against such a big celebrity like you. You're just so intimidating because you're so popular and all and I don't know how to handle it. But deep, deep down, I really do like you…"

She looked up to actually see him looking surprised and a blush on the rise.

"Do you forgive me?" she twisted her pigtail around her finger and pouted.

Seiya grinned and looked Usagi in the eye. "Of course I do, Odango." Bull's eye: she was going to be easier than he thought.

The blonde smiled and placed the bloody pink handkerchief on his desk. "Um, well, I've been so afraid to ask before but since you forgive me and all… can you autograph this for me?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her and stared back into her light blue eyes. Usagi bit her lip and stared back looking innocent and just too damn sexy. Seiya would have never associated odangos with sexy but Usagi made them look good. He could feel a party in his pants on the brink of starting so he quickly looked away to retrieve a marker from his bag.

Once ready, he circled the blood stain and signed his name while also writing the message, "thanks for saving my hand," at the bottom. Though he was not finished and quickly jotted down something else that Usagi could not really make out from her position.

Satisfied with his work, he capped the marker off and sat back in his seat. "There you go."

Usagi took up the handkerchief and read the extra part she could not comprehend at first. She realized that he had written down his phone number. Her stomach rose and fell within her body in exhilaration. She really did not expect him to do this and momentarily felt bad for what she was about to do, but then again he was known for his womanizing ways and this probably was not the first time he has pulled off this trick.

Her demeanor quickly changed. "Thanks, Seiya!" She stood up in her seat.

"Ladies, may I have your attention please! I have here a handkerchief used and stained with the blood of Seiya Kou himself! That's right, THE Seiya Kou from the Three Lights! To prove that it is actually his blood, he has signed it with his personal autograph and message! The bidding will start at 5,000 yen!"

Bull's eye… missed. Seiya's jaw dropped as a fear washed over him. "Odango, no!"

But it was too late. Every single female and a few males jumped out of their seat and stampeded over toward Usagi, leaving nothing alive in their path. Chairs, desks, and even people were knocked over in the frenzy; food that was unlucky enough to fall on the floor was not spared and was squashed under the shoes of the mad dash. Already, people had cash ready in their hand yelling out different prices to outbid the other.

"10,000 yen! I'll give you 10,000 yen!"

"20,000!"

"25,000!"

Usagi fluttered the handkerchief around playing auctioneer. "25,000! Do I hear 30,000? 35,000?"

"35,000! I'll give you 35,000!"

"I'LL GIVE YOU 45,000!"

Seiya sat there in his desk with his face buried in his hands. He could not believe this was happening right now and yet could not help but laugh to himself. She really had him fooled. Peeking through his fingers, he saw Yaten having the time of his life as he was doubled over laughing.

Eventually, the riot became silenced as a short brown-haired girl with a pixie cut stood up on a desk.

"I'll give you 55,000 yen…"

The crowd murmured to themselves in their disappointment that they had been outbid. Each was willing to spend their whole paycheck or monthly allowance on this thing, but they were only given so much and 55,000 yen was way over their budget. Damn her for being born rich.

Usagi pointed to the girl on the desk. "Sold: to our very own Risa!"

Risa bounced in excitement while yelling a little, "whoo hoo!" and both girls jumped down from their high positions. In one swoop, they both made the exchange. Usagi had never really made or held this much money in her life. For once, she felt complete victory.

She looked over to Seiya, "Wow, Seiya, you really are lucrative."

He chuckled and looked up to the self-taught auctioneer. "And you're a tease."

The odango-head giggled and shrugged before turning around as she noticed her three friends approach her.

"Mina, Mina! I can go shopping now."

Before she could respond to her statement, Minako was busy trying to stuff her money back in her wallet. "That's good news!" she exclaimed.

* * *

She yawned loudly while she approached her locker for her indoor shoes. It was 9:00 AM on a Saturday and why was she here? It was all because of that stupid Seiya. Her usual wake-up time on a weekend ranged between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM, but not today. Oh no, she just HAD to get a Saturday detention just to touch Seiya's ass… his tight, perky, gorgeous… ass… ugh! Usagi almost slapped herself for letting her mind wander. She rubbed her eyes open and dug through her locker to change her shoes.

"Good morning, Odango."

Believe it or not, Usagi was not that mad to hear that on account Seiya had barely spoken to her all week. It was probably because he was a bit upset for her giving away his number. She had overheard him say that he had to change it just yesterday. But it is looking like he is over it.

"Morning, Seiya." Usagi greeted while taking a seat on a bench.

He sat down next to her on the bench as he drank from his large paper coffee cup. "I wanted to say that I forgive you now."

She giggled through her nose. "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do."

"A girl has to give away my number for 55,000 yen? I received almost a hundred calls from strange girls that day. I had to change my number!"

"Oh boo hoo, you can't honestly say that you didn't enjoy and take advantage of all those calls."

"Well…"

_Cut to flashback of Seiya opening his front door to reveal three female schoolmates giggling and waving to him. He waves back and holds up a full bottle of wine._

"It gets to a point when it's too much…" he blushed and took another sip of his coffee while his eyes strayed away from Usagi's.

She finished sliding on her white slippers and rose up to put her other shoes in the locker. "Ah, well it looks like Seiya Kou is human after all."

He threw away his coffee cup as his eyes watched Usagi amble to her locker. Her skirt—that was swaying with her walking motion—just stopped at her mid-thigh, showing more leg than he has seen before in her school uniform. Her pale legs were longer than what her scholarly attire led onto and naughty thoughts about those elongated stems wrapped around his waist cruised through his mind.

Seiya stood up to lean against the locker next to Usagi and whispered, "You know, there was one number that didn't come up I was hoping that would…"

Usagi side-smirked and cocked an eyebrow at Seiya. "Aw, I would have called, but some fat ass sat on my phone and broke it!" And with one swipe, she closed her locker shut and was off to detention.

Though it was all in fun, it was another hard blow to his ego. No matter what he said or how sexy he said it, Usagi would just not budge. Seiya rammed the back of head on the locker and unenthusiastically followed the blonde pistol to detention.

* * *

It was finally noon and Usagi threw open the front doors of the school to welcome the afternoon sun. She was even happier to see her three friends waiting for her.

"I'M DONE! Let's eat!" Usagi yelled skipping over to where her friends stood.

"Hey, how was it?" Makoto inquired with a gasp.

"It sucks! They make you sit there for hours just doing nothing or schoolwork. But I snuck in a nap for about thirty minutes so it wasn't too terrible." The blonde odango-head winked.

Ami, Makoto and Minako looked at each other and giggled.

"No, Usagi, we mean how was IT?" Ami tried to clear it up for her friend, but no avail. Usagi was still in the dark.

"His ass, Usagi, how was touching his ass?" Minako blatantly barked.

She was taken aback by this but she was soon calmed and smiled devilishly.

"It was like steel!"

All the girls shrieked in excitement and giddiness as they bounced around in a circle.

"So was it worth it to get a Saturday detention?" Makoto asked.

Usagi sighed. "I guess… really, who else can say they were forced by Seiya Kou to cop a feel of his ass?" she confessed.

"Don't we all wish…," Minako trailed as she drifted off into La-La Land.

"ANYWAY, let's eat! I'm starving for some pizza." Usagi exclaimed, interrupting Minako's little daydream.

Each of the girls agreed and started on their way to a restaurant. They were not too far from the school before a song started playing nearby:

"Search for your love, sora no suishou. Search for your love, nakanai de kure…"

Everyone stopped at the sound of the music and looked at each other. "Where is that coming from? Is someone's phone ringing?" Ami asked.

"Search for your love, hontou wa, dakishimetai no sa…"

Makoto, Ami and Minako took out their cell phones from their purses to confirm any incoming calls, but revealed that none of them were receiving any. But then they realized it was fruitless that they even checked their phones since none of them had downloaded the ringtone. They all looked to Usagi as the song's chorus started over.

"Guys, my phone is broken," the golden-haired girl reasoned.

"Well, it's not one of ours, Usagi…" Makoto retorted.

Knowing that it was pointless, Usagi rolled her eyes and opened her book bag to possibly silence the song in order to appease her friends. But to her surprise, she saw a blinking light shining from her phone pocket and heard the melody even louder after opening her bag's flap. She reached in and pulled out a spanking new touch screen phone. Looking at the caller ID, she saw a restricted number was calling her.

"It's mine…?" Usagi questioningly stated.

"Answer it!" Minako demanded being a little tired of hearing the chorus of the Three Lights' first single repeat a third time.

Usagi pressed the answer button. "Hello?"

"Oi, Odango Atama," said a familiar voice from the other end.

"Seiya?" Briefly, she took the phone from her ear to look at it in mystification.

"Do you know anyone else that calls you Odango?"

"No because I make a note to know people who don't annoy the hell out of me."

There was short-lived silence on the other end. "Is that the way you treat people who give you gifts?"

"Wait, what do you mean by gift?" Usagi looked at her friends with a questioning face.

He laughed. "I slipped this phone into your book bag while you were sleeping in detention."

Usagi's cheeks turned red as she paused for a moment to look at her friends who were signaling for her to keep talking.

"Uh… why?"

"I thought it would only be right that I buy you a new phone since I broke your old one."

She lightly laughed, "Oh… You didn't have to… I guess… th-thank you, Seiya."

"No problem, Odango."

Her heart felt heavy at Seiya's nice gesture and she smiled. "So, um, how exactly did you get my number?"

"I just transferred your SIM card and called my number on your phone."

"Wow, that's creepy."

"Not when I do it." His voice sounded oddly close as Usagi turned around to see him walking up to her and her group and hang up his cell phone.

Usagi shook her head. "Was that necessary?"

The idol smiled and shrugged. "Okay, fine, I want my phone back."

"No!" The odango-head held the new communication device to her chest. "You can't just give a gift and ask for it back."

"Then I suggest being nice to me from now on."

"You-!"

"Uh, Usagi… I don't think we've been introduced!" Minako interrupted.

Usagi turned around and blushed a bit. "Oh, heh…" it did finally dawn on her that throughout her and Seiya's altercations, her friends had never officially met her torturer.

"Seiya, these are-"

"Makoto Kino! Member 1606," the brunette beauty pushed Usagi out of the way while flashing her fan club member card to Seiya, with those damned stars in her eyes again.

But she was shortly cut off by a push from Minako and flashed her own Three Lights fan club card with an even starrier gaze.

"Minako Aino, member 278!"

As also in academics, both star-struck girls were one-upped by the blue-haired genius as she snuck up in front of her two friends.

"My name is Ami Mizuno. My membership number is twenty-five…" her gold fan club card could blind anyone with its shine against the sunlight as she held it up.

Seiya smiled. "Thanks a lot. It's nice to meet you all."

The three girls, too wound up to respond to Seiya, giggled and blushed like the schoolgirls they are.

The musician gazed to Usagi, who looked embarrassed for her friends' actions.

"So, Odango, where's YOUR membership card."

She put her hands on her hips. "I'd rather spend my money on better things…"

"What could be better than supporting my musical efforts?" the raven-haired boy winked.

"Things like PIZZA!" Usagi emphasized on the particular food to possibly break the spell Seiya had put her friends under. Ten minutes had already elapsed after detention ended and they had not even left school grounds yet. And her tummy was still angry.

"Ooh, I love pizza!" Seiya exclaimed.

"We're on our way right now to go eat some for lunch," Minako explained.

"It's an all-you-can-eat buffet too. The pizza is so delicious," Makoto added.

Ami gasped, "You should join us!"

All the girls held their breath, awaiting Seiya's answer.

Just for the sake of attention and just to hear them say it, the idol shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't want to intrude, though…"

"No intrusion at all!" the three star-struck girls argued.

Soon after, Seiya had all three girls on his arms as they led him toward their dining destination. Usagi stayed put for a few seconds feeling as if God Himself was out to punish her.

"Fuck my life…" she whispered, unwillingly following the linked quartet ahead of her. Realizing she still had her new phone in her hand, she thought it best to play around with it to keep herself distracted.

"Hey Seiya, what's that stupid song you put as my ringtone?"

* * *

The sliding doors opened as Seiya with Minako, Makoto and Ami in tow walked into the restaurant—whilst Usagi stayed behind, still messing with her phone. Each of them paid and grabbed their food and drink and found a big enough booth to fit five people. Seiya timed it well to walk with Usagi to sit by her before Ami, Minako or Makoto could, as they were waiting in the buffet line for their favorite pizza to finish baking.

On the outer side of the booth Usagi set down her tray of her nine slices of pizza and ice cold coke, ready to chomp down. She was no picky eater.

"Wow, you're really going to eat all those?" Seiya stared at her full plate of food in astonishment… and admiration. He did a double-take between hers and his plate that had a mere four slices of pizza.

"Hells yeah, and it's going to be delicious." Usagi rubbed her hands together and licked her lips.

"Where do you put it?" It was actually meant as a compliment, really. Usagi was a pretty petite girl for such a large appetite.

"It's a secret," she winked, "jealous?"

Seiya took a sip of his drink and eyed her weirdly. "Why would I be jealous?"

"That you only eat four slices and still have a fat ass?" The odango-head giggled.

"Oh no you didn't!" the idol yelled as he slapped his hand on the table. She did NOT just challenge him. "Get up."

Her giggled turned maniacal as she consented to what Seiya demanded. "You think you can out-eat me?"

He slid himself down and out of the booth to stand before Usagi. "Yes, actually; I am a growing and active teenage boy."

"Oh, but, what about your little rock star body? I wouldn't want to ruin your little career." Usagi pretended to be concerned about his body as she put her hands on her cheeks and gasped.

LITTLE rock star body? LITTLE career? This girl knew how to rile him up. He directed his cobalt eyes from Usagi's cerulean hues after a good stare-down and grabbed his plate of four slices of pizza to make his way back to the buffet. Just as he left to do so, Minako, Ami and Makoto returned with their made-to-order pizza.

"Where's Seiya going?" Ami asked as the three girls sat on the other side of the booth, across from Usagi.

Usagi chuckled. "Seiya thinks he can eat more pizza than I can."

Makoto let out a loud guffaw from the innermost place in the booth, squished between Minako and the wall. "I'd like to see that."

Minako gave Usagi a bewildering look and looked down sadly at her plate. Here she was with a measly two slices of pizza, trying not to look like she ate a lot in front of Seiya; and there was Usagi challenging the hot celebrity to an eating contest. She will never understand boys… or Usagi.

Seiya returned from the buffet with nine slices. "All right, it's on."

In about seven minutes' time, both teenagers were done with their plates. The musician covered his mouth as he burped and put his hand on his protruding belly. "Damn, I'm getting full."

Usagi dabbed her mouth daintily with her paper napkin. "I'm still hungry. I think I'm going to get more."

"What? You're still hungry?" Seiya could not believe his ears, or his eyes.

Usagi grinned. "That's okay, Seiya. You have a career to look after; maybe next time we'll do a salad-eating contest." She patted his full tummy and took a last sip of her coke before she went on her way back to the buffet.

The pop star looked at his three schoolmates sitting across from him. "Has she always eaten this much?"

"We've been trying to convince her to go professional." Ami took a bite from her brownie, already on dessert as the contest just started.

"We actually met over my rice balls," Makoto answered, "Every time I notice some of the food in my pantry approaching their expiration date, I give her a call."

"Don't worry about winning, Seiya. You're a much better singer than she is…" Minako reminded, trying to have him compensate for his puny appetite.

There was that word: winning—that word that he always took pride in and wanted to hold its trophy. Seiya took a deep breath and a huge sip of his fizzy drink, trying to make him self burp in order to make more room in his stomach. Maybe it is all carbonation that is making him feel full.

Usagi returned to the booth, with another nine slices on her plate. Although Seiya stopped her from sitting down as he stood up in front of her. "Don't eat that yet." And then it was his turn to grace the pizza buffet for a second round.

Ten minutes rolled by and Seiya was finishing up his last slice of pizza off his plate.

"Hey, I think they put a fresh pepperoni pizza out. I better get some."

With the food still in his mouth, Seiya's dark blue eyes widened in fear, "No fucking way…" he managed to mumble.

The odango-head grinned from ear to ear as she watched him shove the rest of his pizza in his mouth. It took him a while to chew it up and it looked like he was having trouble swallowing. But he held his head up and looked at his opponent boldly.

"All right, let's go."

Usagi slid out of the booth to let Seiya come out as well. She pretended to walk with him to the buffet before she turned on her heel and leaned over the table.

"Oh my God, you guys, I'm dying!"

Each of the girls blinked in bewilderment. "What? What's wrong, Usagi?"

She took heavy breaths and looked behind her to make sure Seiya had not caught her still at the table. "I'm. So. Full. For once in my life, I can't eat anymore! I think they put extra cheese on it or something." She also doubled-over a little on the verge of tears with her hand on her stomach, trying to contain her giant food baby.

"Well then stop eating, Usagi." Ami reasoned.

"NO!" Usagi yelled, "I cannot and WILL not give up!" Immediately after, she moaned in pain. "Do you think he'll notice if I ran into the bathroom to throw up?"

"Come on, babe! We believe in you. Beat his ass!" Minako chimed, rooting for her best friend.

"Oi, Odango, aren't you coming?" Came a voice from the buffet line.

She sighed and stood up to face Seiya with a fake smile. "Coming!" she yelled. As much as it hurt, Usagi bounded over to retrieve her new plate.

"Hey, uh, you want to get only four pieces this time…?" Seiya negotiated.

Usagi sighed cutely and rolled her eyes. "Oh all right, just for you, Seiya!"

He turned to leave to go back to the table while Usagi took the time to exercise her gag reflex just smelling the hot pizza sitting under heat lamps. She wanted so badly to stop eating and just throw up. But she wanted to win, she wanted to beat Seiya. Placing four more pepperoni slices on her plate, she finally made her last trip from the buffet to her booth.

It was only their first slice from their plate and their contest had slowed. They both reluctantly picked up their piece of the pie and stared at it as if it had hairy green mold growing on it.

"C'mon, Seiya. You can do it!" Minako chimed.

"Yes, Seiya, this is your last plate! I can feel it!" Makoto yelled.

Ami clapped. "We believe in you!"

Usagi widened her eyes at the reinforcement of her friends. "What? No cheers for me?"

"Oh we know you can do it, Usagi, we just want Seiya to feel better about him self," Minako smiled, trying to egg on Seiya's competitive streak.

"If I weren't so damned miserable, I'd throw this in your face," the idol retorted to Minako, referring to his pizza slice he was holding as his weapon.

Usagi chuckled at her friend's comment. "You ready, Seiya?"

He looked to the golden-haired odango-head and sighed. She was smiling like the cat that caught the canary but her eyes told him something else. He felt so miserable; not even football practice during a heat wave was this painful. He had heard stories of models dying because their stomachs exploded from eating too much food when they binged. He did not want to die this way.

"Fuck it. I give up." He threw down the slice of pizza and wiped his hands of grease on his used napkin, accepting defeat.

"Oh thank God!" Usagi yelled as she tore her way through the restaurant to the bathroom. But just as fast as she did, she tore her way back to the booth and took one last bite off a slice.

"Beat you!" she sang and resumed to her way back to the restroom.

* * *

Finally, the eating contest was over and no one was happier than Seiya and Usagi. Both of them waited outside the restaurant for Minako, Ami and Makoto to return from the restroom.

"I'm never eating pizza again…" Usagi moaned.

"They should give us a medal. That was thirty-six slices of pizza between the both of us." Seiya said.

Usagi was dusting off the crumbs from her blouse left from the crust of her pizza. She giggled, "I totally could have eaten more."

"Whatever! I heard you crying to your friends while I was at the buffet." Seiya pointed out.

"All I needed was a nice huge burp and then I could have made room for about six more."

"Well, I have to admit, you're pretty tough." The idol stated while looking at Usagi. "That's pretty hot."

"Oh stop it. I'm in too much pain to fight you off from humping my leg." She yelled.

"Uh, what did I tell you about being nice to me? I didn't have to buy you a phone you know."

Usagi pouted and took out her shiny new cell phone. "But that's so mean of you to put Lola in jeopardy like that after you just gave her to me." She actually stroked her phone a bit, treating it like a prized small animal.

"You named it already?"

The blonde could not help but smile and shrug.

"Do you like it?" This time, Seiya's voice sounded gentle and genuine, devoid of any cockiness.

She looked him in the eye and sighed. "Yes, yes I do. Thank you so much, Seiya. You really didn't have to." She blushed and went up to hug him. Something possessed her to do so. She felt too close to this guy now to just shake his hand. He bought her a new phone for Christ's sake.

Even though Seiya's stomach felt like it would explode at any moment, it had enough room to tie itself in knots at Usagi's embracing action. He had to confess he did not expect a hug or any other physical contact from Usagi. After her little auctioning stunt, he was very weary of her advances. But he welcomed this one with open arms.

After they parted from their embrace, Usagi was looking through her contacts on her phone when she spotted a new and unfamiliar one.

"You saved your number in here?"

"Don't give it away this time!" Seiya warned.


	4. The Injury

**Hi, everyone! Sorry for taking so long on this chapter, but it's finally here! Yay! Here are just a couple of quick notes for the game of American Football (mainly for the ladies). If you already know football, you can completely skip this part and get right onto reading. Or if you plain don't feel like reading this, you can just Wikipedia this shiz XD:**

_**Quarterback**_**: the dude who throws the ball.**

_**Center**_**: the dude who hikes the ball to the quarterback.**

_**Running back**_**: the dude the quarterback throws to and runs with it to gain as much yardage as possible.**

_**Defensive tackle**_**: the players on defense trying to tackle the running back or whoever the quarterback throws to.**

_**Downs**_**: just think of this word synonymous with "tries", the offense has four tries to gain ten yards from where they start. Each time the offense doesn't make the full ten yards (gets tackled, drops the ball, etc.), it's a down. If the offense has made the ten yards in less than four tries, the down starts over to one and keeps going every ten yards until they make a touchdown.**

"_**Throw the ball away"**_**: quarterback just throws it out of bounds.**

"_**Go long"**_**: running back just runs as far as he can down the field.**

"_**Sacked"**_**: quarterback gets tackled. The main purpose for the offense is to protect the quarterback and whoever has the ball.**

_**Touchdown**_**: the offense reaches the end zone; six points.**

_**Two-point conversion**_**: once the offense has made a touchdown, it's six points. Usually, they just kick a field goal for one extra point. But sometimes, they can do a two-point conversion where they play the ball at the third yard line (amateur football does it at the third yard line, the yardage varies by leagues) and try to make it to their end zone again for an extra two points. **

**Hope that explains it. You can totally impress your boyfriend if you know this stuff XD haha. Anyway, enjoy!**

_**My heart becomes so warm  
Just because you are around me**_

As it happened less often than they wanted, the four girls ventured outside to enjoy their lunch under an oak tree. Spring was near its end as the middle of June slowly crept up to welcome the summer season. Still, the weather stayed sunny and cool and many students took the opportunity to enjoy their lunch hour outdoors.

"Oh, it's such a beautiful day," Usagi smiled as she danced around to the group's regular place to eat lunch.

"Wow, you're in a good mood today," stated Ami, happy for her friend's cheerfulness.

"When it's as gorgeous as this outside, how can you NOT be in a good mood?" the odango-head sighed and sat down at the base of their usual oak tree.

Three of the girls left standing followed suit and sat down to make a circle under the shade of the bright green foliage.

"Well, it's not JUST because of the weather…" Usagi giggled, "I talked to Mamoru-kun today…"

"Was that the first time you've seen him since the boutique?" Minako asked, taking apart her bento box.

Usagi had already dug into her lunch and was munching on a rice ball. She shrugged, "Yeah, I guess. But we had a pretty long conversation. He's been really busy with tennis, you know. They've made it to the semi-finals. But anyway, he never said anything about having a girlfriend. I don't think they're going out."

"How do you really know that?" Makoto joined in the conversation.

The odango-head giggled again. "He wants to meet after school at Crown… for a little date…"

"He actually said it's a date?" Ami swallowed her food and blinked in curiosity.

Usagi nodded. "He said, "let's meet for a little date," those were his exact words."

As someone who felt like she knew better of the ins and outs of dating and men, Minako pondered on the words "little date" and for some reason did not see that as Mamoru making a big move in his friendship with Usagi. He had been taking her friend on these "little dates" for three years and each time they always got Usagi all giddy. Minako really felt sorry for her since Usagi would fall for them every time as being a huge step in their relationship. Not to mention, if one really liked a girl, one would have moved on from the dates being so "little" a long time ago…

But she would not tell Usagi. She was just in too happy of a mood and has been for the past three years.

All of a sudden, the ground started to subtly vibrate. Simultaneously, Makoto, Ami and Minako reached into their book bags to see if it was their cell phones that were causing the rapid movements from underneath. But each was disappointed as it was not their own cells that were the culprits… once again. They looked to Usagi—in her own little world still munching on her rice ball—that was being completely ignorant of the vibration that was still ongoing.

Makoto shook her head with a smile and reached into her blonde friend's bag to retrieve her cell phone. She had a text.

"Uh… you have a new text from: 'ass face'…?"

"Oh, that's Seiya." Usagi finally looked up from her hypnotic state.

A very bemused and amused Makoto handed her the cell phone before Usagi took it.

Minako snorted, as the raw broccoli she was in the midst of chewing almost made its way out of her nose. "You saved him in your phone as 'ass face'?"

"Just a better way to weed out the people I really want to talk to." Usagi explained as she opened Seiya's text to read it.

"What do you have my number saved as?" Makoto asked, now wondering if Usagi was weeding out HER calls.

"Freak show." the odango-head bluntly stated.

Makoto chuckled and lightly pushed her. Inside joke…

"So what did Seiya have to say?" Ami asked, nibbling on her crab croquette.

Usagi cocked an eyebrow. "He asked where I am."

"Wha-?" Each of the girls asked as they found their way huddled around Usagi in a split-second with their pairs of eyes staring at the screen of the still shiny and new cell phone. The text actually did read: **"Where are you?"**

"What are you going to text back?"

"What do you think he wants?"

"You're so lucky, Usagi…"

"Lucky?!" she asked as the odango-head turned toward Minako who was the guilty party of the last statement. "Pssh, all he wants to do is try to annoy the hell out of me. And I'm just way too happy to let him damper my day." Usagi grinned to herself and proceeded to delete the message.

"Playing hard to get, are we? That's my girl." Minako gave her blonde counterpart a pat on the back.

"There's no PLAYING at all. I'm just simply not interested in being another trophy on his wall."

"I don't know, Usagi…" Ami shrugged and looked away, "I've never seen him pay attention to or tease any other girl as much as he does you."

"And he even gave you a phone," Makoto added.

"But he gives every girl he woos a gift. Arisa Tooku supposedly has a charm bracelet from him," Usagi argued.

Minako nodded in thought. "Yes, and I also heard that Hitomi Kawanaka's new hairpiece is worth more than her house."

"AAAAND… and if he IS so interested, why is he still sleeping around, hmm?" Usagi waved her finger and glared at her three friends.

"Well how do you know that for sure?" Makoto asked.

"I've seen three different girls THIS WEEK return a dress shirt of his at his desk; 'oh here, Seiya, I forgot to take it off and give it back to you last night, ooooooh!' It's repulsive." Usagi gave herself a shiver after displaying her attempt at a squeaky girly voice to imitate each of the girls that graced Seiya's desk.

All three girls sighed, signaling the end and their loss of the argument. The thought of their best friend dating an idol did sound romantic and cool at the same time, but she was right: Seiya did not seem to have any interest in commitment. But he did seem to have a huge interest in Usagi which conflicted with all the known laws of nature.

"So then, Usagi, if you do find him so repulsive, why do you still keep the phone he gave you? Since you see it as some sort of collateral for him to get in your pants, why did you even accept it in the first place?" Ami inquired to possibly put her friend in a corner.

"He broke my phone. It was only right that he give me a new one. Plus, it's rude to not accept a gift. I can't be rude!"

The three girls except Usagi sweat-dropped and laughed at her remark.

* * *

Seiya reached into his pocket to check his phone once more. Already, twelve minutes have passed and still no reply from her. He knew he had his phone on vibrate, but maybe he could not feel it this time. But of course it revealed once again that Usagi was still leaving him hanging just like a minute ago (the last time he checked his phone). Maybe there was some kind of interference in the reception so she did not get the text. Maybe she had her phone on silent and she could not hear it. Or could it possibly be that maybe she was ignoring him?

Nah, no one ever ignores him. Not Seiya Kou. It was probably just the reception, it usually always was.

"Seiya? Hello, earth to Seiya!"

The raven-haired boy looked up to see his silver-haired band mate, Yaten, waving his chopsticks in front of Seiya's face. He blinked his dark blue eyes and laid his phone down, falling back down to reality.

"Um, what?"

"Did you not hear any of what Taiki or I said?" Yaten chewed on his leftover noodles awaiting Seiya's response.

He took a deep breath and looked at his two comrades trying to remember if he did soak in anything they talked about in his state of thoughtfulness. A few seconds too long to think and he had to come clean.

"No…"

Seiya was met with a roll of the eyes by Yaten and a shaking of the head by Taiki.

"We were just saying how you have to go alone this Friday to the recording studio and tell our manager we don't have anything yet." Taiki said.

"What? Why does it have to be ME…? ALONE?" They were plotting against him right under his nose! If only he had not been so distracted…

Yaten chuckled while the look on his face practically said: 'if you were listening the first time, we would not have to repeat ourselves, thanks a lot—not really.'

"BECAUSE I have a spa day after school and Taiki has to do this stupid math club thing that day… so that leaves you." Yaten stated.

"But I have football practice," Seiya disputed.

"The meeting's at five-thirty. I'm sure football practice is done by then," the brown-headed giant already had the leader's activity schedule filed away in his memory. Seiya should be out no later than four.

Stuck! They only did weight-lifting and running exercises on Friday afternoons. Damn Taiki and his computer for a brain.

"Fine… whatever…" Seiya sighed and idly dug around in his bento box with his chopsticks, not wanting to pursue the argument.

Ten more minutes went by as the pop idols finished up their lunches and talked of things Seiya had no interest in. He sat in silence for the remainder of lunchtime, his eyes stealing glances at his dormant phone that lay on his desk he was eating at. But to his fortune, he soon saw a certain odango-headed blonde with her three friends following behind like a line of ducklings. He watched her put away her bento box with a quick conversation with Minako and then made her way toward her desk.

Seiya had rearranged his chair to sit in the middle of the pathway between desks in order to make room for Taiki and Yaten to eat. It was funny how it turned out that way, because just as soon as she got close enough, Seiya leaned his chair back; thus blocking the walkway and Usagi from moving on.

"Odango, did you get my text?"

Usagi looked at him feigning confusion. "What?"

"I texted you early during the lunch hour, did you not get it?" He looked at her expectantly, waiting to see what her answer may be, waiting to see what excuse she will come up with this time.

She took in a deep breath and shrugged as she looked away. "Nope, didn't get a text." Though, one human feature she was not counting on happening gave her lie away.

"You're lying."

"Excuse you?" Usagi put her hand on her hip, astonished Seiya would question her.

"Your cheeks are red. They do that when you're embarrassed or lying. And I don't know anything you would be embarrassed about right now, so you're lying."

Her cheeks turned even redder at his statement. How would he even know? Now Usagi officially felt embarrassed that Seiya caught her in her lie. Trying to cover it up, she scoffed as she reached into her book bag and took out her cell phone to show Seiya her messaging history. The blonde practically shoved the piece of technology in his face.

"Look! See? There's no text from you! It's probably the lead-lined walls that kept the text from being sent."

"How do I know you didn't just delete it when you received it?" He smirked devilishly at her.

Oh God, that stupid smile of his. Why? Why of all people did it have to be an arrogant celebrity that had a smile that could make her weak in the knees? Sure Mamoru's smile was nice, but Usagi swore she heard angels sing when Seiya grinned.

"Because I didn't-can I get through now?" she folded her arms and gave him an exasperated expression.

The traffic flow behind her was bottling up from Seiya's roadblock. But the three that were behind Usagi—Minako, Ami and Makoto—were having a little fun watching another episode of a Seiya and Usagi banter. Although the other blonde that stood behind the odango-head had a mischievous plan in mind.

"No, I want you to stop lying to me and tell me the truth." Seiya proceeded to make him self comfortable as he rested his elbows on the desk behind him.

"I'm not lying!! Sometimes the message doesn't go through, can't you understand that?!"

"Yeah I can understand that, but that's not what happened here. I think you're avoiding me and it hurts, Odango. It really does…" he pouted and gave Usagi the best puppy eyes that he could.

Her cheeks puffed up as she let out an angry sigh and steam shot from her ears. She turned on her heel to face Minako.

"Mina, turn around! This is-"

"Oh shit!" Minako exclaimed as she gave Usagi a shove. The blonde odango-head gave out a yelp and stumbled a bit backward. It was not long before the back of her feet hit the legs of Seiya's chair and gravity did its work as she accidentally plopped herself on Seya's lap. His seat that was leaned back soon fell into correct position with all four legs on the ground from the extra weight that befell upon it.

Before she could open her eyes to see what damage had been done, she heard the giggles from her friends (who she was not pleased with at the moment) as she also felt the arms of Seiya Kou wrap around her waist. She swore her heart stopped as her breath caught in her throat from his warm touch.

"Right here, Odango, in front of all these people? It's so wrong…"

She finally opened her light blue eyes to look into the playfulness of Seiya's dark ones, feeling mortified and excited at the same time.

"…but it feels so right…" his face then started getting closer to hers.

Was this happening? Was this really happening? Was he really going to do it? She could not take so many thoughts racing and such huge waves of emotions. If her heart was ever on the verge of exploding it would be now and her motor skills to talk or even comprehend a thought disappeared. She squirmed and pushed him back a bit with her hand on his chest.

"Seiya, stop! I just fell-!"

"Shh, shh… just let it happen." He put his long index finger to his lips and then to hers to silence her… and she obeyed. Would that technically be considered kissing?

He stared deep into her eyes for another moment before he showed a toothy and playful smile.

"Odango, you're so cute when you're all flustered."

Oh no, he did not! Usagi growled and wriggled her way out of his loose embrace. How could she have been so stupid? How did she even fall for that? To think that Seiya was actually going to-… oh God! She did not even want to think about what just happened. She always fell into that trap of believing that he was a nice guy and liked her and bought her shit but really he was just out to make her life hell. Stupid Seiya…

She stood up to face her giggling friends once again. Minako shrugged with teary eyes.

"Sorry, I tripped."

Shaking her head and wanting the situation to go away as soon as possible, Usagi grabbed for her book bag that landed on the floor right before she fell. And just for good measure, she grabbed Seiya's head and pushed it away as hard as she could while he chuckled.

After fixing his hair, the idol turned to Usagi's walking figure and smiled, "You like it rough, eh?"

She plopped into her chair while trying to hide her face as much as she could. She was certain that they both made a scene and a few heads must have turned at the commotion that was caused by Seiya and Usagi… once again. Usagi was so embarrassed, she felt like crying. Seiya had made such a fool out of her and she felt she was half to blame, actually a third to blame since Minako pushed her… She just could not wait for the end of the day to come sooner when she would see Mamoru. She knew he could make it all better.

Soon all the students put away their lunches and their desks back into the place as the bell to start fifth period was about to ring. The literature teacher even made her timely appearance about one minute early, still dabbing her face with a handkerchief of excess crumbs from around her mouth.

"Class, I have a quick announcement!" She waited a moment for the students to silence before continuing, "If you are part of the anime and manga club, your set building has been moved to the football field. That is all."

Oh God, football can only mean one thing…

"Hey Odango, you'll get to see me practice!" Seiya said as he tugged on her left pigtail teasingly.

Why, just why? Why did this have to happen to her? She would be pardoned for a period of two weeks of pure Seiya-less bliss, but there would be that one day when everything would just pile on to make up for that grace period. She wished she could just disappear right now.

Usagi slightly turned around and yanked her pigtail out of Seiya's grasp. "Well aren't I just the luckiest girl!" She said sardonically.

"What are you doing building a set?" Seiya asked.

"Well, we're doing this joint project with the drama team and somewhat turning our story into a play and-… wait, why am I even wasting my time telling you this?" The blonde shook her head and turned back around in her chair.

"Why do you even think you're wasting time by talking to me?"

"Just, shh!"

* * *

About an hour into practice and Seiya was already feeling the heat of the young summer sun. He had just made a second down for his team and yet was disappointed in himself. As official running back, he already had top-ranking averages even though they only played one game and he wanted to keep up that reputation, even in practice. But the sunny weather was showing no mercy and Seiya was feeling the effects. Though, the rest of the Tenth Street High School football team was experiencing the ill-effects of the heat as well as their endurance and performance was also lagging.

Given a short water break, the sweaty idol looked over toward the end zone where his goal lied, and so did Usagi… along with the rest of the anime and manga club building their amateur drama set. As he was about sixty yards away, Seiya could still make out her unique hairstyle and smiled to himself. He casually watched her intently paint on a banner while she sat on her knees. A fellow club member walked up to her and it looked like he was making simple conversation right before she stood up and handed him the paintbrush.

Seiya took a deep breath and another swig of water. Weeks had passed by and he had barely cracked her shell. The only time she would even pay attention to him was whenever he instigated a flirting session. Other than that, she would look every which way but his. He thought their pizza-eating contest would be a huge stepping stone in their relationship but it seemed to have faded in the back of both their minds and things resumed to how they were. And he thought a gift would probably make her warm up to him a little faster. Usually girls would go crazy when he would buy them stuff and getting them into bed was easier than tying one's shoe. But of course there is every other girl and then there is Usagi…

Maybe she did not know his full potential. Maybe because she has not seen him play to sheer perfection that she thought he was just a simple-minded teenage boy. Well she was here and he had to take up the opportunity. Peaking only to number three on the music charts only showed her that he was mediocre. But maybe… maybe if he could somehow make a touchdown for his team right now Usagi could then see that he can excel and see him as worthy.

Putting down his water bottle, he strapped his helmet back on and jogged over to his team's huddle.

"Oh God, it's so fucking hot. Let's just throw the ball away so we can just go home…" said Chiko Nukimi, Tenth Street's official quarterback.

The rest of the team agreed with a nod and deep sighs. But Seiya still wanted to carry out his plan.

"Why don't I just go long?"

Chiko looked up at the musician and all around at his teammates before shrugging. "Uh, okay. Sure." At least it was not himself who had to run.

The team clapped their hands and broke their huddle and moved into position at the opposition's forty-yard line. After the quarterback's yelling out of a few random words, the center then hiked the ball for Chiko to catch it. He stepped back a few yards while looking around for Seiya to throw to, thankful that his running back donned a long ponytail; for he could pick him out throughout the herd of tackling no matter what. Not to mention, Seiya was left wide open. He threw the ball as hard and far as he could for Seiya to catch with ease as his feet failed him not. Fifty, forty, thirty, twenty… the idol ran his fastest to the end zone and hearing his name being chanted from the bleachers helped him in his confidence and speed. Every day during practice he would attract a massive crowd of fan girls that no one really even minded anymore.

Just before he reached the one yard line, a defensive tackle who was on his heels from the beginning dove for Seiya's legs. With nothing more than a loud "oomph" from the hit, Seiya held on tight to the pigskin and extended his arms out as the ground neared. His heavily padded body fell to the earth, halfway in the end zone.

A high-pitched cheer emitted from the bleachers as the fan girls went wild; some even as far as to jump up and down and hug each other for Seiya's great play. While his teammates also showed appreciation for his touchdown, Seiya made sure to look over to Usagi only to see that she completely missed it. She looked to be talking to some random tennis player and had a shine to her that he had never really seen before. It was as if nothing else mattered except this guy she was talking to. She was smiling constantly as her body language told any onlookers that she was really into him. All this work for nothing… and where the hell did that guy come from?

After being helped up and dusting off some grass, Seiya was approached by Chiko and the rest of the team.

"Ah, that was a great play, Seiya! Good job. Now we just have to kick a field goal and we're done." Chiko beamed as he patted Seiya on the back.

The idol looked over once again to see the tennis douche leaving and Usagi continuing on her ongoing project. He really played no part in kicking at all and just seeing him tackle someone was not very interesting. He was not going to give up.

"Let's do a conversion."

Chiko was taken aback. "What? Why do you want to do a two-point conversion? We're already a touchdown ahead."

Seiya shrugged. "Well, why not practice it now? We haven't really and I think we can do it." He looked over his shoulder again to make sure Usagi was not distracted with anything else but her project.

The quarterback sighed and shook his head. Again, at least he did not have to run. "Okay, go left."

The team assimilated back into position once again as Seiya focused all his concentration on getting to the end zone without being blocked or tackled. He heard the magic word of, "hike" and he made a beeline diagonally left to his goal. But it seemed that their plan had been found out and already three defensive tackles were chasing him down. Chiko threw the ball right before he could be sacked and the ball spun high in the air. It was then that Seiya's feet suddenly grew wings and everyone swore he jumped about six feet in the air to catch the precious pigskin. It was fortunate that Seiya landed with both feet still inbounds but he suddenly forgot the three opponents chasing him as they gave him a hard push out of bounds. The idol tripped over his feet from the hard shove and tried to catch his balance with wide strides. The drama set was probably set a little too close to the end zone as it was proving hard for Seiya to stop tripping while it got closer and closer. Some club members were quick to get out of the way while one other looked up a little too late.

"Ah!!! My head, my ribs, my back!! Ow!!"

After both of them crashed into the unfinished set and landed, Seiya looked down at the female who lay under him crying in agony.

"Oi Odango, you should be more careful."

Usagi let out a loud scream in more pain and wriggled underneath the all-star. "ME be more careful?! You're the one who fell on me!"

The faint smell of paper mache filled their noses as the two teenagers still lay inside the now destroyed drama set. A group of girls stampeded over to the fallen idol as they showed their concerns for his well-being and not so much for Usagi's. Seiya took it upon himself to stand up and offered a helping hand to the odango-head. "Sorry, Odango, I guess I lost my footing there. But did you see that great play that I made?"

"You're impossible…"

She sighed in disorientation. Somehow he always managed to turn things around and make it about himself. Although knowing that she probably more than likely needed help standing up since her body still felt the shock of the tackle, she took Seiya's offered hand as he swiftly pulled her up without any problem.

Well, HE did not have the problem. As soon as Usagi put her weight on her right foot, a sharp and intense pain raced around her ankle.

"Oh my God!" she managed to yell before falling to the ground again to ease the hurting. She rolled over to sit on her bottom wincing in pain as Seiya crouched down and looked her in the eye, seeming as though he was truly concerned.

"Odango, are you all right? What hurts?" All he wanted to do was show off to her his awesome football skills. Granted, it was funny that he happened to run into her as well but hurting her was never in the blueprints. But maybe this could prove to his advantage…

Through her heavy breathing, Usagi answered, "My ankle. My right ankle hurts so much."

He unsecured his chinstrap and took off his helmet to let his sweating head breathe. Afterward, Seiya's hand rolled down Usagi's sock to find her ankle already swollen and bruised from a bad sprain. Apparently he did not realize his own strength.

"Shit, Odango, that's already swelling to the size of a plum. We need to get you to the nurse's office."

"Oh great…" Usagi rolled her eyes. Though, she was immediately silenced once she felt both her arms being led around Seiya's neck and his hands sliding under her knees. With little struggle, the athletic musician stood up with the blonde on his back, sweeping her off to the nurse's office.

Already red from the heat, Usagi's blush covered her cheeks completely. "Um, what… what are you doing? You don't have to do this…"

Seiya smirked. "Well I'm not going to let you just limp away alone to the nurse's office…" The two blue-eyed teenagers locked eyes for an instant before the idol blinked away his glance and ruined the moment. "Aren't I a nice guy?"

Usagi could not help but roll her eyes.

Right when Seiya and Usagi started on their way to the nurse's office, female onlookers stared at their retreating bodies in jealousy while one yelled out, "Seiya, my ankle hurts, too!"

* * *

Their journey there was spent in a comfortable silence. At first Usagi was taken aback, as she never had been carried on a boy's backside before, but the ten-minute walk gave her time to soak it all in. Seiya finally made it inside the school and into the nurse's office where they heard her in her personal cubicle talking on the phone. The musician took it upon himself to set the blonde on his back on a table while they waited on the school-appointed nurse to finish her conversation.

Usagi bit her lip lightly and looked down at her lap. "Thanks, Seiya… that was very nice of you."

And let the confusion begin. Once again as fast as she could reprimand him for being a pompous ass, she had to thank him for being a nice guy. Just a few hours earlier, he had humiliated her in front of the whole class and then just a few MINUTES earlier he had made her the envy of every female at Tenth Street High School. What were his true intentions?

"Well I wasn't going to leave you out there like this. What do you take me for, Odango?"

Usagi cocked her eyebrow. "Do you really want to know?"

Seiya smiled and shook his head. Immediately following, he grabbed the odango-head's right leg and massaged his hands down her calf. His soft fingertips glided over the muscle of the back of her leg and his thumbs traced the edges of her tibia with a light pressure, giving Usagi a rush.

"Does this hurt?" he asked, almost in a sensuous whisper.

Her reflexes kicked in as her leg jumped a bit, but not so much for Seiya to take his hands off. Did he really have any logical reason for doing this? She shrugged and giggled. "No, actually it tickles."

"That's good…" his fingers and thumbs changed direction as they rubbed upwards on Usagi's calf, now resting behind her knees as his thumbs caressed the skin of the beginning of her thigh. "…how about this?"

Her breathing quickened, though she desperately tried to hide it by holding her breath. Tiny sweat beads started forming all over her body as the air suddenly became warmer. Usually she would be ticklish in that area but her body decided to become completely numb from Seiya's touch; Usagi questioned herself as to whether that was a good thing.

"Um… I… n-no…" she scratched the back of her blonde head before she met her eyes to Seiya's. He was giving her a look that her dad had warned her about so many years ago.

He stepped closer to the table, positioning himself between her legs, his hands venturing further up her thigh as they grazed the trim of her blue pleated skirt. Usagi's heart was beating so fast that it did not have time to make the two-beat "lub-dub" sound, but just a single pounding "dub." It felt so wrong yet so good. She did not know if she would faint or vomit from such excitement. Was this it? Was this really going to be her first time to fool around, in the school nurse's office of all places?

"Can I help you two?" came an assertive feminine voice from a few feet away. The nurse was finished with her phone call.

As if this had happened before and he has had much practice, Seiya was quick to take his hands off Usagi's leg and step out from between her straddle. The two teenagers blushed a bit as the blonde sitting on the table took a sigh of relief while her heart rate slowed; oh thank God.

Seiya flashed that oh-so-sexy smile to the nurse. "I brought my friend here because her ankle hurts. I accidently tackled her while practicing."

The nurse was way too mature for his charm and thus gave the idol no response. The trained physician walked over to Usagi and held her leg up to peek under her sock, catching a glimpse of the swollen ankle.

"It's just a sprain. Does your leg hurt as well, sweetie?" The nurse asked Usagi, noticing earlier of her and Seiya's massaging session.

The blonde shook her head. "Just the ankle…"

"I was just making sure she didn't tear anything up there. Anything can happen…" Seiya defended.

The nurse smirked and put her hand on her hip. "You may go back to your activity now, son. I'll take good care of her." She then disappeared into a back room to retrieve supplies to wrap the Usagi's ankle.

"Oi, Odango, let me take you out for a soda today." Seiya piped up, once the nurse was out of sight.

Her blue eyes widened. "What?"

"I feel bad for running into you and I have some free time after practice. I figured I'd take you out."

"Uhh…" she scratched her head once again, "thanks but I already have plans. I'm already meeting someone at the Crown…"

"If you're meeting Ami, Minako or Makoto, I'm sure they won't mind," and here comes the attitude.

"Not… not really," She never imagined in a million years she would possibly be stuck going out with two different men at the same place at the same time, "what about tomorrow?"

"What's wrong with today?"

"What's wrong with tomorrow? I already have plans with someone else." Usagi felt like she was arguing with a five-year old.

"Son, would you please leave and go back to your activity?" The nurse scared both of them halfway to the ceiling. Damn, she was fast with those supplies.

Seiya winked at Usagi before taking his exit. "I'll meet you at the front entrance."

Usagi growled.

* * *

After being bandaged up and told a life lesson on boys by the nurse, Usagi walked her way out of the office fifteen minutes later… on crutches. All because of Seiya, she had to walk with these damned things for three days. She would rather eat her vegetables.

She crutched her way to the anime and manga club meeting room to retrieve her school bag and walked to the front entrance of the school and then waited for a few seconds before opening the door, debating whether or not Seiya would be out there waiting for her. In a way, she wanted both outcomes. She wanted him to not be there so she can go to the Crown Fruit Parlor alone like she was supposed to and meet Mamoru in peace. And yet she wanted Seiya to be waiting on the other side because he said he would, because he made her feel like no other boy ever has…

Taking a deep breath, Usagi leaned on the door to make it open and was welcomed by Seiya leaning against the wall only a few feet away.

"Ready?"

* * *

"Oh my God, Usagi, what happened to you?!" Minako ran up to her blonde counterpart at the moment she walked through the sliding doors of the Crown Fruit Parlor.

"Long story… I'll tell you later, I promise," Usagi sighed. But then a few seconds later did she realize that all her friends were at the Crown. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to watch over you and Mamoru." Minako smiled nervously.

Makoto and Ami waved from their regular booth they had sat at for so many years.

"We just wanted to make sure you were a good girl." Makoto winked.

"And that you wouldn't completely embarrass yourself…" Ami blushed and covered her mouth.

Usagi sweat-dropped, "Thanks…?"

Seiya then finally made his delayed entrance after satisfying the wants of a few fan girls by giving them his autograph and taking their picture with him. Minako noticed him first and looked to her odango-headed friend questioningly.

"Usagi, you little slut, what is Seiya doing here on your date with Mamoru?"

She sighed even heavier. "Long story, Mina…" Usagi did not mind the name-calling really, it did look pretty bad. "Just… just distract him," she said as she looked around the parlor at the tables for the object of her affection. She, however, failed to turn around to look at the actual bar that sat directly behind her.

"No problem!" Minako turned on her happy face and waved to Seiya. "Oi, Seiya, we're over here!"

The raven-haired boy smiled and walked on over to the two standing blondes. "Hey, Minako, was Odango meeting you here?"

And the situation was slowly unfolding. Minako quickly gave Usagi a chastising glance. "Yeah… she was… but um, we can always make room for one more!"

"Told you they wouldn't mind, Odango," the idol said, giving Usagi a hard pat on the back.

"Well you must sit. We have room for one more!" Minako beamed.

Usagi smiled. "Thanks, Mina, these crutches are killing my armpits-"

"Not you, Usagi. You can't be rude to our guest!" the bubbly blonde chirped as she took Seiya by the arm and led him into the booth that was big enough for only four people. Usagi's jaw dropped to the floor at the inconsideration of her comrades. Even Ami and Makoto seemed to have forgotten about their temporarily handicapped friend as they drooled all over Seiya sitting at their table. She did not mean for Minako to distract Seiya in this manner… and he was enjoying every second of every minute of any attention he received.

Usagi sighed and looked around the parlor once again, this time looking behind her at the bar where she soon then found him… with a cute little side smirk and a small wave to her, already ready with his sparkling water. The odango-head grinned and walked her way over as fast as her crutches could carry her and sat down at a stool next to Mamoru, hanging her book bag on the backrest.

"Hey, Mamoru-kun, I'm sorry for being so late." She gave him a quick hug from her seat.

"Well it seems to me like you have a legitimate reason," Mamoru joked, hinting at her obvious wrapped sprained ankle and shiny new pair of crutches, "how did this happen?"

Usagi shrugged and laughed in an uneasy manner. "Oh I was just painting the set on the field and right after you left, a player just ran too far out of bounds and just smacked right into me…!" she did not want to mention to him of any other man in her life, afraid it would cost her chances with Mamoru if she did.

"Well are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, my ankle is just throbbing a bit…"

Mamoru smiled. "Seems to me like that calls for a comfort drink. Motoki, a strawberry soda for Usa here," he called to the waiter behind the counter.

A tall dirty blonde-haired blue-eyed handsome man leaned over the counter. "Coming right up… but first, how are you today, Usagi?"

Usagi had known Motoki as long as she has known Mamoru… actually she had known him longer. Both men were very close friends who shared an apartment together as roommates and also attended the same university. In fact, Usagi heard they did absolutely EVERYTHING together. She even introduced the dirty blonde to Mamoru since she had been coming to the Crown Fruit Parlor after school since junior high. She felt good that she helped start such a great and close friendship between the two.

"Doing great except my clumsiness has caught up with me," Usagi joked.

"Well then the first one is on me," Motoki beamed.

"Oi, Motoki, I called it first," Mamoru retorted.

"How do I know that?"

"She's here to see me, not you!"

"Oh fine, I'll let you win… again!" yelled the waiter behind the counter, playfully tossing a rag at his roommate.

"You guys, I'm sure I'll have more than one soda. You both can buy me one." Usagi smiled from ear to ear.

Both of the men shared a laugh with the teenager until Usagi felt a slight vibration throughout her chair. She reached into her book bag to read a text message from Minako:

"**Show more leg :)"**

The blonde odango-head snorted and exited out of the text, taking it with a grain of salt.

"Wow, Usa, that's a nice-looking phone you have. Is it new?" Mamoru noticed, looking at the glossy innovative cell in wonderment.

"Yes actually! My old one broke and so… I was able to get a new one…" once again, she did not want to mention the existence of another boy in her life.

"Do you mind?" the raven-haired tennis pro asked with his palm outstretched, indicating that he wanted to hold Usagi's cell phone to get a better look at it.

"Not at all," Usagi said, placing it in his hand.

"Motoki, look at this. Wasn't this the phone you were gawking at a few weeks ago?" Mamoru called over the waiter who readily set down Usagi's strawberry soda in front of her, topped with whipped cream. Motoki's blue eyes sparked in excitement.

"Wow, Usagi, I can't believe you got this phone. I'm still saving up to buy one for myself since April," Motoki stated.

Usagi took a sip of her soda and eyed her phone in confusion. "Really now…? Have you not been getting paid on time?"

"Oh no, I've actually been getting advances to buy the phone as fast as I can. These phones can run up to 80,000 yen."

Thank God she did not have soda in her mouth, for she would have choked on it the moment she heard Motoki tell her how much the phone was. Usagi would always forget how much money Seiya was worth and made. 80,000 yen was a fuckload of money… but then again, it was a lot to her and probably pocket change for him.

"Well, uh… daddy got a raise," the blonde lied, taking her phone back from Mamoru.

He finished telling the thousandth story about being an idol to the three girls and watched them once again giggle in amusement. As their sounds slowly became background noise, Seiya managed to look over and witness the scene before him at the bar: Usagi was sitting with that same man from the field and were sharing drinks together—a drink that he promised to buy her—she giggling and biting her straw seductively while crossing her legs to let her skirt fall further down her thigh. A slight jealous rage burned through his heart as he watched the scene; that should be him up there flirting with the odango-head—that should be him she should be sharing her strawberry soda with. Was it that same guy that she was supposed to be meeting today?

He could not watch her from afar any longer. "Oi, Minako?" he turned to the bubbly blonde sitting beside him that kept him from escaping the booth.

"Yes?"

"I need to go to the bathroom, do you mind?"

"Not at all, go ahead!" Minako slinked out of the booth to let Seiya leave. He quickly thanked her before she sat back down and locked on his target ahead. Seiya slowly strolled to the flirtatious blonde.

"Odango, are you going to introduce me to your friends?" he whispered in her ear while he slinked his arm behind her to let it relax on the back rest.

Usagi's head quickly snapped over to Minako—whose only and easy job was to keep Seiya distracted—and quickly witnessed her and Makoto and Ami gossiping to each other without a care in the world. She snarled under her breath.

"Mamoru-kun, this is-"

"Oh my God, it's Seiya Kou! I can't believe it!" Motoki yelled out elatedly, cutting Usagi off.

Seiya feigned a smile and held out his hand. "Hi, nice to meet you…"

Motoki gasped and looked at the idol's hand as if it was the Christmas present he had always wanted. He clasped both of his hands over the Seiya's and shook it vigorously. "It's SO nice to meet you. Usagi, how do you know Seiya Kou?!"

The blonde odango-head watched with amusement as Seiya had to practically pry his hand from the waiter's firm grasp. "We go to school together. We're in the same homeroom."

Motoki dropped his jaw and looked to Mamoru. "Mamoru, you never said he went to Tenth Street!"

"Yes I did. You just weren't listening and paying more attention to your video games… like always."

Motoki rolled his eyes and focused his attention back on Seiya. "I can't believe it. I absolutely love you guys. I believe your music really holds meaning."

Seiya cocked an eyebrow as an imaginary alarm went off in his head. "You… listen to our music?"

"Yes! We first saw the Three Lights perform at Disneyland about two years ago and I just thought you guys were really good for such youngins." Motoki kept smiling.

"He was always first in line to buy your singles," Mamoru shrugged.

"Hey, you were there with me!" the dirty blonde waiter glared at his roommate.

Seiya, with his eyebrow still cocked, looked over to Usagi who seemed to be in her own little world as she spooned the remaining whipped cream into her mouth the with her straw since she finished her soda.

"Thanks, it's always nice to meet a fan." Well, Seiya did not want to be rude and not say anything.

"Mamoru-kun, what are you doing here?!" came a voice from a random dark-haired schoolgirl coming up behind Mamoru.

"Hey you, I never thought I'd see you here!" Mamoru smiled and took the strange girl in a hug while she kissed his cheek.

Usagi's heart completely dropped at the scene. There she was. There was the girl she had seen with Mamoru when she spied on them in the boutique going into the dressing room together. She completely forgot about her and of course God had to slap her in the face for it.

He looked over at her to suddenly see her taking an interest in her hands. Seiya first-handedly observed the shine from her eyes totally dissipate. It now really seemed that she really liked this Mamoru guy and seeing physical contact between him and some other girl broke her heart. It was just another crack for him to crawl through to get into the blonde's head. Slowly, he moved his arm from the back rest to around her shoulders and gave the furthest one from him a squeeze. Usagi perked up and looked at Seiya with glazed eyes.

"You okay?"

She faintly smiled and looked back down to her lap. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Usa," Mamoru called, putting his hand on Usagi's knee, "you have to meet my friend, Rei Hino. Rei, this is Usagi Tsukino."

Rei gasped. "Oh so YOU'RE Usagi Tsukino. Mamoru-kun has told me so much about you."

Usagi suddenly forgot how to breathe. How dare she call him that; that is HER name! Well, Mamoru has not said anything to Usagi about Rei.

"Oh… It's all lies, I promise," the odango-head fronted as she held her hand out to shake Rei's. The dark-haired girl with the obscure school uniform accepted Usagi's hand warmly.

"I certainly hope not. From what I've heard, you're just an angel!"

Usagi gave Rei a courtesy laugh just for the sake of being civilized and decided to flaunt the famous idol hanging off her shoulder for good measure.

"I guess I'll introduce you to MY friend. Rei, this is-"

"Seiya Kou?! THE Seiya Kou?!"

The odango-head banged her head on the bar counter as she was cut off once again trying to introduce Seiya. She decided she would not even bother to do it anymore in the future.

"Yes, nice to meet you." Seiya nodded.

In response, Rei pulled out her Three Lights fan club card. "I am Rei Hino, member 2906 of your fan club!"

It looked as if Seiya gave her a courtesy laugh as well. "Thank you very much. That means a lot."

Rei perked her shoulders and smiled and put her club card away before saying, "So are you two dating or something…?"

Usagi's face turned beet red as she noticed Seiya's tight grip on her shoulder with his arm extending across her back. She shook her head as she patted his hand off.

"No, not at all…" she said, trying to laugh it off.

"Not yet anyway…" Seiya winked.

Usagi hid her face in her hands. She just could not believe the comments he would make, especially the ones that were all lies. And people were dumb enough to take them seriously. Now Rei was going to tell Mamoru and completely ruin her chance to date him… stupid Seiya!

The raven-haired girl giggled. "I think you two look cute together."

"I've been trying to tell her that, but those odangos seemed to be filled with more air than brains," Seiya joked as he gave one of her signature hair buns a squeeze.

Usagi laughed at the comment, but really she wanted to cry. "So how did you and Mamoru-kun meet?" she asked, really wanting a subject-change.

Rei looked up in thought. "We met waiting in line for the release of a Three Light's single and talked the whole time we were there. After that, we had exchanged numbers and gone to lunch a week later. And we've been good friends ever since." At the mention of whose single she was waiting in line for, she gave a slight blush.

Had it not been for Seiya and his stupid band and stupid singles, Rei and Mamoru would have never met. Everything seemed to be eerily connected and Usagi started to hyperventilate taking in the new information. At least she still calls him a "friend."

"Really, it was a real blessing to meet him. He's just so smart, talented and brave… we're both so lucky to know him, Usagi," Rei beamed.

Usagi cocked her head to the side. "Brave? Did he save you from drowning or something?"

Seiya had to hold his nose to keep from laughing out loud at the sight of Rei's bewilderment.

"What? N-no, he didn't SAVE me…" a curious and seemingly sympathetic smile crept from her mouth. Awkwardness filled the air before Rei took it upon herself to break it. "Well, I hate to cut this short, but I must go. I'm a priestess at Hikawa Shrine and I'm already late as is. It was so nice to meet you, Usagi." Rei leaned over and gave the odango-head a light hug before turning to Mamoru (who was previously distracted with a deep conversation with Motoki) to bid him farewell as well.

As she watched her retreating figure walk out of the Crown Fruit Parlor, Usagi let out a sad groan. "She's really pretty and very nice. Why do you think Mamoru-kun hasn't asked her out yet?"

"I'm sure you'll find out one day, Odango," Seiya chuckled to himself. He was soon met with a questioning look from Usagi that held such sadness. And just from that split second of gazing into her poignant blue eyes, a part of his heart melted for her. Why? Well he could not give one a straight answer at the moment.

"I'm sure it's because he wants to… ask YOU out," the musician smiled.

Usagi gave out a little giggle and used the back of her index finger to dry the corners of her eyes. "Thanks. That was a good one."

"What? I mean it! I'm sure he's just waiting for the right moment."

"Apparently he's been waiting three years for that moment…" Usagi glumly retorted.

He sighed deeply, really wanting to stop talking about Mamoru and her feelings for him. "Hey, I still owe you that soda. Still want one?"

The blonde truly smiled through her ever-glazing eyes. "Yeah, that sounds good."


	5. The Comment

**Hey, hey, hey! I hope everyone enjoyed my last chapter and I thank all of y'all from the bottom of my heart for all the reviews ^_^ I really like to know what everyone thinks and such and plus it's just a boost to my day. Just FYI, I won't be updating for a long while (maybe about two weeks) due to sorority and school activities starting up once again, so I thought I would stay up late and to finish this chapter and give it to y'all as a distraction for the time being. It is quite late so please forgive me if I have a bunch of GSP mistakes everywhere.**

**Oh and I finally wrote some scenes with Ami/Taiki and Minako/Yaten! Wh00 h00! I do love them as couples as well, but Usagi/Seiya are just my number one so please don't get your hopes up that I will put more individual scenes of the other couples. Just another FYI—hehe XD**

**Oh and the song I'm quoting is: "**_Days_**," written and performed by Ayumi Hamasaki (I can't believe I forgot to put it in earlier, goodness!). I absolutely love her and if any of you have the time, y'all should give her a listen; she's just wonderful!**

**Anyway, I love you all! Enjoy!**

_**I have only one wish  
Can I stay loving you forever  
Just like this?**_

Sixth period was here… finally. It was always the case on a Friday: each hour seemed to drag on since one would always look forward to free time on the weekends. For today, it was the home economics period for the girls and technical home economics for the boys. Each gender was instructed to migrate to other classrooms as the females learned to make tiramisu and the males would learn how to fix a computer. At least two boys thought they were going to, until the technical home economics teacher approached them with a difficulty: there were not enough computers to be fixed, but enough tiramisu to go around. And the lucky two boys to be moved to home economics with the ladies:

…None other than Yaten and Seiya Kou.

The two idols entered the room that was full of chattering girls and the smell of sugar and espresso. Seiya made his move toward his odango-headed prey while Yaten spotted a lonely blonde in an apron reading over a paper filled with directions and the recipe.

"May I join you?" He asked after he approached her.

Minako looked up startled at the silver-haired boy. "Oh… hi! Yes of course you can join. The aprons are hanging by the door," she grinned.

"Thanks," the short musician stated with a smile before he retrieved an apron and returned to Minako's side, ready to help out.

"You know, I uh, usually have a partner but she's out today…" Minako took it upon herself to say—her eyes shifting—not wanting to look like a lonely loser that no one wanted as a partner.

Yaten chuckled. "That's cool."

"So I haven't seen you in home economics before. Did you just switch out?"

Yaten smiled nervously and scratched the back of his head in light embarrassment. "Um, well just for today. They did not order enough computers for us and just stuck us in here."

"Us…?" Minako looked incredulously at Yaten before he pointed behind her. She turned to see Seiya at it again with Usagi as he untied her apron playfully and Usagi retaliating by pushing and yelling at him.

Minako snorted, "Oh God, I might be hearing all about that later."

"Believe it or not, that's him being real sweet on her. Though she might think otherwise," Yaten said casually as he gathered and measured out some of the ingredients.

The bubbly blonde raised an eyebrow and decided to inquire more on the matter. "Really now… does he like her or something?" It was not like she did not know, but she just wanted to hear it from a reliable source.

"I would guess so. He's never really given a girl that much attention before. But then again, he's never had to. He sees her as a challenge and you can always count on Seiya to take one up." He was unnervingly blasé.

Minako could not decide how to take that comment. "So… does he talk about her a lot with you guys?"

Yaten shrugged as he snuck a ladyfinger in his mouth from its package. "Not really. I mean he's been with a lot of other girls since we've transferred. The only time I ever see interaction between him and Usagi is at school."

"Well he's actually gone out to eat with us once. He and Usagi had detention one Saturday and he tagged along with us for lunch."

Yaten found him self pensive for a bit. Slowly, a smile crept up on his lips while he shook his head, suddenly remembering that day. "That was where he was? He was supposed to meet US for lunch with our manager that day."

Minako's eyes widened, "Really?"

Yaten nodded. "Yeah, I remember getting really pissed off because he texted me thirty minutes after he was supposed to show up saying that he wasn't coming."

Minako cracked two eggs in a bowl as she stole another glance at Seiya and Usagi's table; both were trying to see which one could put the most ladyfingers in their mouth.

"Maybe he's sweeter on her than you thought… if he stood you guys up for her," she whispered.

The short idol shrugged. "Really, it's Seiya, there's usually only one story between him and every other girl and it always ends up with Seiya getting what he wants. Your friend seems to be pretty guarded so I don't think there's anything to worry about…" he looked up as well to see Seiya spitting up soggy ladyfingers in defeat and Usagi jumping up in down in her victory that she was able to fit the most of the tasty cookie in her mouth. The black-haired boy was even smiling and shaking his head.

"But maybe she doesn't HAVE anything to worry about. She's different and he knows that. He keeps going back for more like a sick little puppy," Yaten finished. He knew Minako was one of Usagi's best friends and he really did not want to tread on dangerous ground by saying the wrong thing; even though he was well-versed in Seiya's intentions with all girls. So he shut his mouth. And besides, he really did not want to get on Usagi's cute friend's bad side.

"Well I tell you this…" Minako started, waving a pan scraper caked with mascarpone cheese, "if he does hurt her, you'll be short a band member. And I'll be known as the crazy bitch that popped off Seiya Kou of the Three Lights. And I really don't have a problem with that."

Yaten found that hilarious and laughed out loud. "And it won't be until in death that he would learn his lesson of not to mess around with so many girls."

"So what about you," Minako fingered off a chunk of the creamy cheese to give it a taste, "What's your story on girls?"

Yaten cocked his eyebrow at the blonde and grabbed the scraper out of her hand to use it for mixing. "I tend to see girls as more than walking vaginas if that's what you're getting at. I like going to bed not wondering if I'll be itching in the morning."

Minako giggled as she covered her mouth, "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"In fact, it does…"

"It's nice to know there are some good boys in the music business out there."

Yaten scoffed jokingly and winked. "Who said I was a good boy?"

"Compared to Seiya, every boy is."

"Tell me about it… Hey, let's use the electric mixer for this. My arm is getting tired," Yaten temporarily broke the flow of conversation on account of his aching arm. Both he and Minako rummaged through the cabinets to retrieve the electric mixer and its respective two metal beaters. The blonde with the big red bow in her hair offered to take the job of mixing and all was going well until the mascarpone cheese proved too thick.

"Oh God, I hope I didn't break it…" she said worriedly as she lifted the mixer out of the cheese mix and beat it hard against the bowl to relieve the clog… while it was still on. A huge chunk of the mixing fell off the beaters as it then gave them room to start spinning at their fast speed again. About three-quarters of the mix on the beaters ended up splattered all over Yaten—in his hair, on his face, and on his uniform—while the rest flew off and landed on random surfaces nearby. Minako looked over at the idol in complete mortification that she let happen what just did.

"Yaten, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to get it all over you… please don't be mad…" she held her hands to her face as tiny tears threatened to spill over and down her cheeks. She truly was in fear of Yaten's response because his celebrity status was just more salt on the wound.

For a moment, Yaten stood there in silence and in complete awe of what just happened. The tip of his pink tongue peeked out of his mouth to taste a part of the coffee and cheesy mix that landed at the corner of his mouth. After a good taste, he smacked his tongue and smirked at Minako.

"Tastes good, actually…" he then reached over into the bowl to scoop up a huge handful of the mix, "You should give it a try." Minako was in too much of a fearful state to avoid him slathering it all over her face.

The anger that was directed at her self was soon directed toward Yaten: the culprit in smothering her face with tiramisu mix. She gave him a glare with her icy blue eyes before taking a huge chunk of the dessert off of her chin and chucking it in Yaten's hair.

The silver-headed boy grabbed the bowl to grasp even more of the mix as his weapon in this food-fight and to also keep the blonde from using it as a defense as well. Minako was grabbing all she could of the individual ingredients that were left over—including chocolate and even whole handfuls of granulated sugar—and aimed for his precious smooth head of hair. Her laughs were too loud to miss, even for the teacher.

Both Yaten and Minako received failing grades for the day and also each other's cell phone numbers.

* * *

Ami sighed contently as she sat herself down in the classroom where her afterschool math club activities would soon take place. As if she had done so for the past three years, she polished the lenses of her glasses before setting them atop her nose and readily took out a notebook, pencil, and four-function calculator from her book bag. She would anticipate a silent waiting period before the math club activities would commence, but was instead sweetly interrupted.

"Hello, Miss Mizuno," came a deep masculine voice from her right.

The blue-haired genius looked over into the deep mauve eyes of Taiki Kou of the Three Lights—they, too, were guarded behind transparent eyeglasses.

Ami smiled nervously. The room seemed to have warmed up a bit as her hands began to sweat. Even though Seiya and Usagi have developed a history with one another for a few weeks, it was still yet to happen when she would meet the other two members of the band. And here sat her favorite one addressing her, completely out of the blue. Sure she knew that he attended the math club meetings regularly, but he always sat himself a few rows back… except for today.

"H-hi, Taiki. What brings you to the front row?"

"You, actually…" while he did initially approach the blue-haired girl for business reasons, he did not mind making it fun for himself after realizing he was picking up Seiya's flirting habits. He never comprehended how fun it was to make a girl blush as he was witnessing on Ami right before his eyes. "…I noticed you happened to score a tenth of a point higher than me on the last calculus test and I just wanted to better size up my competition."

Ami's excitement faltered a bit at the comment. "Oh… Why should a tenth of a point matter?"

"A tenth of a point decided who was first and who was second. I will admit: it's frustrating to be second place because of that small of a number." Taiki grinned to ease the tension a little bit, letting Ami know that he was not looking for a serious argument.

"Well I assure you a tenth of a point doesn't make me any smarter-…"

"Just more careful…" Taiki stated, barely cutting her off.

Ami laughed lightly as she ran her hand through her short hair and blinked her blue eyes. "If a tenth of a point is enough for you to change seats, I would guess you're pretty upset about it."

"Well, I'm not… I'm not UPSET… per say…" the tallest Light stammered, "just… frustrated. I'm sure you would do the same, wouldn't you?"

The blue-haired genius shrugged and grinned, "Nope."

It was amusing to see his usual stern face drop into—dare one say—embarrassment? He just had to come up with an excuse to approach her. He never considered himself cool and confident and capable of just walking up to a girl and then five minutes later be having her in the sack as Seiya was able to accomplish frequently.

"Well no matter, Miss Mizuno, I will make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Let's hope not. I'd hate to see what you'd do if you were second by just HALF a point."

Before Taiki could come up with a comeback, the teacher in charge of the math club then made his entrance to commence on the activities.

"Alright, students, today is a very special day for all of us. I have discovered a certain exercise in one of our math books today and thus decided it would be a good challenge for you. I want to see how fast one of you can solve this problem…"

With a quick and haphazard job, the teacher wrote out the quizzical math equation on the white dry-erase board.

"Are you ready, Miss Mizuno?" the tall Light playfully glared at Ami.

"No peeking!" Ami accused, winking at him.

The teacher raised his hand up. "…And go!"

Before the teacher shouted the signal to start, Ami and Taiki looked at each other with challenging glances; telepathically telling each other that whoever solved this problem correctly and the fastest was the smartest. At the sound of the teacher's voice, both of them became focused as they picked up their pencils and started off on their race. Not a resonance emitted from either one of the students as the air filled with the sounds of pencils writing, erasers squeaking, and calculator buttons being pushed. The minutes ticked on by as the numbers quickly filled up the empty spaces of the notebook papers and the air became hotter and stuffier. Ami slightly glanced over at Taiki's work just to see how far he was as he did the same. Not one of them wanted to be defeated… it was a tenth of a point and it mattered. Ami came in first and Taiki in second because of it and both of them wanted to show one another up. It was so close… she was so close… HE was so close. All that was left was to find out the square root of 121 and then…

"Finished!" yelled Taiki as he raised his hand while Ami immediately followed his actions only a mere tenth of a second later (of course!); defeat crossed the blue-haired girl's mind knowing full well Taiki finished first.

But the teacher surprised them both by asking: "Did you both check your work?"

Damn it! How could they have forgotten? With another challenging glance at each other, navy blue met deep mauve for a moment before once again concentrating on the problem on their parchments. Checking one's work proved an even more tedious and longer process than the actual problem itself it seemed. But Ami was not about to pass this opportunity up and thanked God the problem matched up with the checked work!

"I've finished, Mr. Uema!!" Ami yelled as she was now first to speak up and raise her hand.

Taiki looked over at her in disbelief before he threw down his pencil in exasperation. The moment Ami spoke, he just finished writing in his answer… the RIGHT answer.

Mr. Uema took up Ami's papers filled with her work and looked over it for a few seconds before smiling.

"Congratulations, Miss Mizuno, your work is correct!"

The whole classroom sighed in relief that they did not have to finish the problem anymore and clapped for her success. Taiki swallowed his pride and disappointment and joined in the applause while Ami blushed and politely bowed to the class in humility.

"Good job, Miss Mizuno…" the musician sighed.

Ami turned to him, smiling. "You can call me Ami. Really, Taiki, you did just as well as I did I'm sure. It was just all a matter of speaking first."

"You still beat me…" he cocked an eyebrow, "and that deserves a reward."

Her head cocked in bafflement. "A… reward…?"

Taiki chuckled and pushed his glasses further back on the bridge of his nose. "Are you free next weekend?"

* * *

He swiftly applied his sunglasses to his face as he stepped out into the early evening sun, its orange rays still brightly lighting the city of Tokyo. As much as he wanted to take in the scenery, Seiya Kou still had to force himself to listen to the arguing mumbles of his manager and producer negotiating the Three Light's next single release. Though the meeting at the recording studio did not last very long, the raven-haired band leader was having the hardest time giving a damn. He was just thankful that it was officially a couple of minutes from being over now that they were finally outside the recording studio.

As a mild banter went on between the manager and producer, Seiya's eyes immediately glanced across the street, spotting Usagi idly walking down the sidewalk with a leash in hand and a black cat at the end of it. Her big blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of big bug-eyed sunglasses and her usual school uniform was replaced with a very slightly revealing pastel purple tube top which was adored with frills and short jean shorts. It was funny how he would happen to see her on this side of town at this very moment—as if it fate was telling him something.

"Did you hear me, Seiya?"

Seiya once again zoned back into the situation at hand. Not wanting to keep him self in front of the studio any more than he had to, he decided to lie by nodding while stating, "Yeah, yeah, I heard you."

"If we don't get anything from any of you guys by Tuesday, we're going to have to call in other producers and you're just going to have to like whatever they give you…"

"Yeah, yeah, okay, okay. Next Tuesday… I'll have something." By this time, Seiya was stepping backwards toward the curb, blatantly not interested in sticking around.

"All right then."

"Kay, see you Tuesday." And he was off to the other side of the street.

Once he stepped back onto the sidewalk, he slowed his pace to a stroll; making sure he kept a distance of at least twenty feet behind Usagi. He wanted to take the time and wonder why he was following her at this moment… why she mattered so much. He could hear such excited chitchat from girls who could recognize him, even with his sunglasses on, but were too afraid to approach him. And there was the odango-head who could not care less and in her own little world.

So what if she did not throw herself at him? So what if he was more of a parasite to her than a god? So what…? Every time he would have these internal arguments with himself which always ended up with him losing with his heart. Because she was so closed-off around him, he was able to get to know her a lot better than he has known any other girl. He saw her as something deeper than just a sexual object… something like a friend perhaps… something so important that he just HAD to follow her around and harass her at school. He just HAD to because of these… these… feelings he felt—feelings that felt so foreign.

Abruptly, Usagi stopped in her stride and bent down to her cat. Seiya could barely make out baby talk coming from the blonde… most definitely talking to her feline pet. The pop star moved in for the kill.

"Aw, baby, are you okay?" Usagi had not turned around yet and was still carrying on her conversation with her cat, Luna, as she scratched her beloved pet's chin.

"I'm doing great, thanks for asking."

Surprised at the sudden answer coming from behind, Usagi turned around and looked upward at the silhouette of her fellow classmate.

"Oh, it's you…" her voice dropped.

Seiya raised an eyebrow. "Don't sound so enthusiastic."

"Around you, this IS enthusiastic."

The idol chuckled and pushed his sunglasses further on his nose. "So who's the little guy?" he asked, hinting at the black feline.

Before Usagi answered him, she took Luna in her arms and stood to face Seiya.

"HER name is Luna. She's my kitty." Usagi smiled a big closed-eyed smile.

The raven-haired boy greeted the cat as he scratched all under her chin and behind her ears. "You like cats?"

"I like LUNA… not really that much into cats. I would actually love to have a bunch of dogs, but momma says we don't have enough money to even afford ONE. So I'm stuck with THIS bundle of joy. I found her about a year ago on my way home from school. Some stupid junior high kids were messing around with her—such little shits they were—and I ran them off and took Luna home." She ended her story with a tousling of the cat's fur on her head.

"How gallant of you…"

Usagi grinned before Seiya pulled away from petting Luna. The two teenagers stood in a comfortable silence for a moment until the idol decided to speak up before the silence became awkward:

"So what brings you to this side of town?"

"Every Friday, we all get together with our pets for a little play date at Mako's. She lives just a couple of blocks down. What brings YOU to this side of town?"

Seiya pointed across the street. "I was at the recording studio right there meeting with my manager and producer."

Usagi looked to where his finger directed her to, "Where?"

"Right… right there, you see it? That building with all the boarded up windows," Seiya answered as he stepped closer to the blonde.

Her face wrinkled in almost disgust. "THAT building is a recording studio; that old-looking warehouse-looking thing?"

Seiya could not help but chuckle. "Yes, a very nice recording studio as a matter of fact."

Usagi's disgust quickly faded into awe. "Wow… I would have never guessed. That's actually pretty cool."

"If you're nice to me, maybe I'll take you with me someday." Inwardly, he half-hoped she would take him up on the offer.

"Really?! Oh that would be so fun to actually be in a real recording studio." The golden-haired beauty suddenly had stars in her eyes. She let her mind wander about the possibilities until she made herself snap out of her stupor. She did not want to come off as being too available or really even interested in Seiya as he slowly has been finding his way into her thoughts. After her failed date with Mamoru earlier in the week and the pop star showing somewhat of a soft side to her, she started to consider Seiya an option. But at the same time she held her guard up around him. She knew at the drop of a hat that she was more than likely to fall for his advances and that was way too dangerous, especially since he was well-known for being a womanizer.

The black-haired idol smiled and stepped even closer to Usagi. "Maybe I'll even sing a song for you if you decide to come."

She just wanted to sigh and just throw her self on him… his words were so smooth. But then she wondered how many times he had said that to every other girl before he moved onto her.

"That's nice, but I wouldn't want to steal a song away from any other girl you've promised to take to your recordings." Way to kill the mood but it had to be done.

Seiya let out a long and loud sigh. "Odango, you're killing me. You're like an onion: so many layers and you make me cry."

"And so my work here is done." Usagi playfully bowed as she giggled and turned around to resume on her journey with Luna in hand.

Seiya blinked in confusion without moving. "Where are you going?"

"To Mako's!" She yelled, still walking her way down the sidewalk.

Such a feeling spread throughout his body like a poison. Was their conversation going to end right there just like that? Seiya felt a pull from some supernatural force as he found himself jogging his way to catch up with her.

"Ooh, I haven't seen her in forever. I'll stop by and say hi."

Usagi stopped in her tracks. "What?"

Seiya followed suit a couple of steps ahead of the odango-head. "What?"

She shook her head and scoffed. "Seiya, you can't just do that."

"Do what?"

"Just… STOP by someone's house unannounced… and UNINVITED. Seriously, where did you learn your manners?"

The pop star grinned. "Odango, when are you going to learn that everyone except you loves me?"

It was cocky of him to say… yet true. Usagi knew that she would be getting hugs in private from her friends for, yet again, bringing a hot celebrity with her even if it was unannounced.

"Well… it's a play date for our pets. You don't have a pet so you would be bored…" Did that sound like a legitimate excuse?

Nope, he did not believe it for a second. And it was then that a light bulb flicked on over his head. Seiya shrugged before simply stating, "That can easily be fixed."

He started again on the journey down the sidewalk, looking for his new destination that would serve as a tiny detour from the path to Makoto's apartment. He knew it was around here somewhere.

"What? What do you mean? Where are you going? Seiya, wait!" Usagi yelled after him and followed his figure curiously.

"Aha, I knew it was still here!" Before Usagi could catch up with him fully, the idol strolled into what looked like a pet store. As he walked through the open door, the odango-head stopped and looked at him and the contents of the pet store in confusion. Reluctantly, she went inside and saw Seiya in front of a bin looking down into it.

"What are we doing here?" Usagi asked as she approached him.

"Well you said I needed a pet, right?"

She looked down into the bin to witness a few miscellaneous breeds of puppies scurrying and playing about. Instantly her heart melted for them and she could not resist the urge to play with one. Carefully, she placed Luna into her tote-styled purse in order to have her hands free to pick up and play with a puppy. Her eye immediately went to a tiny orange Pomeranian.

"Aw, you're so cute!" she picked up the fluffy dog and baby-talked to it while she rubbed its nose with hers. Her face received many licks from the Pomeranian's soft tongue. The thought of sneaking it out of the pet store in her purse crossed her mind… more than once.

Seiya caught himself staring at her and the Pomeranian for way too long. He coughed and spoke up. "You like that one, Odango?"

"Yes, yes, it's so cute. It's my favorite."

"Great… Excuse me, miss!" Seiya yelled for a pet store employee.

A short girl looking to be only sixteen years of age approached the idol. "Yes, may I help you?"

"Yes. I would like that Doberman puppy right over there," Seiya said, pointing at the only sleeping black and copper pup in the bin.

Usagi's eyes widened. "You're actually going to buy a dog?!"

"You said I needed one if I was to come over with you."

In her amazement, she almost dropped the young Pomeranian. "Wha-… I… I didn't think you would actually buy one… and I wasn't that serious…" again, she forgot about him being a rich celebrity and all. Then again, she DOES have an 80,000 yen phone from him.

Seiya smiled at her and turned to walk up to the cash register to purchase his new friend.

* * *

At the sound of the doorbell, Makoto bounded toward her front door and opened it.

"Usagi! God girl, what took you so long? We were all waiting-!"

Before Makoto could finish yelling at Usagi, Seiya showed himself from the left side of the doorframe. The tall brunette almost choked on her own breath.

"S-Seiya… you're here… Hi!"

Minako swiftly poked her head under Makoto's arm at the mention of Seiya's name. She grinned sweetly at the new guest.

The pop star smiled. "I caught Odango on the street and she graciously invited me here. I didn't want to come empty-handed so I stopped to buy a few things. Sorry for making her late."

"Oh… oh it's nothing! No harm done at all. We're so glad you could come!" Makoto could not stop giggling and moved aside to let the two inside her apartment.

Usagi rolled her eyes. Had Seiya not been there, she would have been chewed up and spit out for being thirty minutes late. Well again, she had to admit he served as a blessing in disguise.

"Your puppy is so cute! What's her name?" Minako noticed the tiny Doberman fitted perfectly in Seiya's long hand.

For some reason, that question caught him off guard. He was so busy trying to impress Usagi that he forgot to come up with a name for the dog.

"Um, I really don't know. I just got her and I haven't come up with anything yet."

"Maybe we could help you out in naming her!" Minako beamed as she sat down on Makoto's love seat and placed her white cat, Artemis, in her lap. "When did you get her?"

Seiya shrugged. "About… ten minutes ago."

Minako slowly nodded as she glanced at Usagi questioningly, who telepathically told her not to ask and that she would tell her later.

The pop idol held up the puppy in both his hands and stared at her as she wriggled around a bit trying to lick Seiya's face with her tiny tongue. Usagi seated herself on the full-sized sofa, gingerly placing her purse beside her as Luna rested in it.

"I could really use some chocolate for some reason," she stated.

Seiya smiled. "Coco: that's what I'll name you."

Minako glanced up at him. "That sounds like such a cute name."

"I think it'll suit her well…" Seiya smiled and finally held his new puppy close enough for her to lick the tip of his nose, "Thanks, Odango."

"Mina, I need you!!" Makoto yelled from the kitchen.

The bubbly blonde heavily sighed and placed Artemis right back out of her lap, "Excuse me." Once Minako was out of sight and into the kitchen, Luna jumped out of Usagi's purse to join the white cat on the love seat and Seiya joined Usagi on the full-sized sofa.

"Can I play with her?" Usagi asked Seiya enthusiastically, referring to Coco.

"But I just got her…"

"Yeah, and you'll have her for all night tonight after we're done here," she wasted no time to let Seiya respond to her comment as she grabbed for the new Doberman puppy out of the idol's hand. He did not really put up much of a fight anyway seeing as how he enjoyed that her hand lightly grazed his thigh as she reached for the new pup.

As Usagi baby-talked to Coco and played with her floppy ears, Seiya felt the left side of his buttocks vibrate. He leaned over to take out his cell phone from his back pocket and check his new text.

The odango-head eyed him slyly and decided to pry. "Who's that?"

Before Seiya answered, he read the text, smirked, and put his phone back in his left back pocket.

"Kiko Ruisa. You know her?"

Usagi shrugged. "Not really. She was my lab partner once in Chemistry during first year. She's nice but we hang out in way different crowds."

"Yeah, she is pretty nice…" that was really the only contribution Seiya could make to the conversation; the only thing he knew about Kiko was her bra size.

"How exactly do you know her?" she already knew the answer to the question but she wanted to ease into the real question that she wanted to ask him.

The black-haired pop star guffawed and blushed a bit. "Um… I met her at a party… couple of times…" he felt a bit uncomfortable talking about it with Usagi for some reason or another. Talking about girls he knows sexually with a girl he legitimately likes sort of put up a red flag with him.

"Really? A couple of times? I thought you were a one-night kind of guy."

"Well they usually come back for more and if I'm in a good mood, I can go for a couple of nights." He tried to sound casual about it, trying to keep his cool.

"Can I ask you something… personal?" Usagi's gaze looked down into her lap where Coco had nestled into the groove in between the blonde's closed legs.

"Sure."

"Why do you… do what you do? I mean, have sex… a lot… with a bunch of girls…" it might have sounded like it was awkward to ask and it was; it took all her courage and strength to do so.

Seiya chuckled. "Though you might not think so, it's really a two-way street. It takes two people to have sex and we both get different satisfactions: the girl has the honor to have slept with a celebrity while I have the honor of… having sex. Most of the time it isn't me who instigates it, I swear." He wanted to sound cool, calm, collected, and like it was no big deal.

She nodded slowly as she pet the tiny Doberman in her lap. "Ah…" was all she could say.

The idol scooted closer to Usagi. "Well, the sex isn't always business. It's for pleasure; a certain itch that we as humans want to have scratched and really we're just helping each other out. We're a sexual species." Okay so even HE would admit that was a petty attempt to explain him self, but he wanted to explain… him self. "I'm sure you understand, right?" He softly nudged Usagi with his elbow.

Her eyes widened and her face turned a shade of red yet to be invented. "Um… I guess… maybe…"

Seiya raised an eyebrow. "Do you… understand?"

"Yeah, yeah, I… can…" she looked every which way except into his eyes.

He lowered his face to hers. "Odango, why won't you look at me?"

"No reason. I just don't want to look at you… haha!"

He was thinking it and he was going to ask it. "Are you a virgin?"

"Okay, conversation over!" Usagi took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Oh my God, you are! You're a virgin! That's actually very surprising…" he covered his wolfish grin with his hand.

She looked over at the idol glaringly. "Why is that surprising?"

"Because it turns out you're wound up tighter than I thought you were." He thought he was being funny; he even let himself laugh at her expense. It actually did surprise him that Usagi was a virgin, but he also felt surprised once he was staring into the livid eyes of the odango-head; his smile and laughter soon turning into a frown and silence.

"What are you laughing at?! Just because I don't jump on every cock I see doesn't give you the right to make fun of me. Do you want to know WHY I haven't had sex yet? Because I don't want to lose it to some man whore of an asshole like YOU! I seem to be one of the few girls left in this school untouched by you're filthy hands and thus able to still walk with dignity. And now I'm more proud of that than I'll ever be! How dare you! How dare you just push yourself into my life and think you can judge me all you want! Why are you even here then?! Why aren't you at one of your fake parties screwing some easy slut because you're so goddamned "sexual?!" Good riddance if you do leave so that I won't have to take anymore shit from you! I guess it's hard for you to realize that I'm not like you, I'll never be like you, and I DON'T like you!"

The tears threatened to spill over, but Usagi would not let them. For half of her rant, all she could see of Seiya was a watery blur. She had never felt such a fiery angry passion before and thus that passion did not help the tone of her voice. Minako and Makoto ran out of the kitchen hearing the loud commotion to witness their odango-headed friend chewing out the idol. Instantly after her tirade, Usagi took Coco and thrust her into Seiya's lap and stomped out of the living room to lock herself in Makoto's bedroom.

"What the hell did you say to her?" Makoto questioned, just as stunned as Seiya was.

Coco pawed at Seiya's shirt, but she might as well have been doing it to a brick wall. Usagi had left the pop star speechless and torn. He knew he went a little far with his comment, but he really did not expect that heated of a response. He now felt like the worst person in the world and that he completely ruined his friendship with her. Never had he been yelled at like that… and it did not feel very good. He almost felt like crying himself.

"N-nothing…" he finally said.

Minako crossed her arms. "Uh, that doesn't look like you said nothing."

Ignoring the questions from the two girls, Seiya placed Coco beside himself on the couch and stood up to follow the path that Usagi took to Makoto's room. Gently, he tried to turn the knob but he immediately realized that it was locked. Resorting to plan b, he lightly knocked.

"Odango? Can you please open the door? I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you… can we just please talk about this?"

Silence.

In defeat, he rested his forehead on the door and closed his eyes. His stomach was all up in knots and he could feel a nervous feeling all throughout his body. He was no stranger to being rude to girls—kicking them out of his room soon after sex and such—but he actually cared for the crying girl on the other side of the door. He cared that she was mad at him. And he was sorry—SO sorry—that he was so rude to her.

"Odango… please, please open the door…"

Seiya soon felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Minako looking at him sternly.

"Let me handle this."

After he moved aside, the blonde repeated Seiya's action of knocking on the door.

"Usagi, it's Minako…"

And just as quickly as she revealed herself, the two teenagers in the hallway heard the unlocking of the door. And before she would step into the room, Minako gave Seiya another stern look.

"Get back. I don't want you going home in a body bag."

She opened the door big enough to slip her body through and closed it shut. Minako did not bother to lock it, knowing Seiya was not stupid enough to try anything. Usagi was sitting at the edge of Makoto's bed: her face red with anger, her cheeks tear-stained in sorrow, her eyes glazed with shame.

"Hey… what happened?" Minako got on her knees and grabbed Usagi's hands that were moist from her wiping her many tears away.

She let out a chuckle. "I never thought I could feel bad for being a virgin."

Minako's light blue eyes widened. "What?! What do you mean? What did he say?" as hard as she tried to stay biased, she could not help but feel rage for her sobbing friend.

"He just made a joke… he said I was wound up tighter than he thought. I don't think he actually meant anything by it… I don't think. But he made me feel really stupid, y'know? At that moment I thought about where I could have been had I not been chasing Mamoru-kun all this time. I felt like a stupid little girl since I've been saving myself for him, per say… I don't know… it made me think that had it not been for Mamoru-kun and my stupid feelings for him, I would know what it's like to make love," Usagi wiped away a few more fresh tears, "it's all just embarrassing and Seiya just put the cherry on top."

The usual bubbly blonde's eyes furrowed. "Usagi, you're not stupid. You're not! You're a great girl and you should feel proud you still have your innocence; that you haven't given it away to some loser on one drunken night. I know it hurts but don't let something Seiya says ever make you think otherwise. He didn't mean anything to maliciously hurt you."

"I'm sure he deserved it somehow," Usagi chuckled again.

Minako giggled at her friend's remark and took her into a tight hug. "It'll be okay, Usagi. We all love you how you are. Do you think you could see Seiya to let him apologize?"

"Not really. I just might tear his pretty face up if I see him right now." She laughed, though still sobbing.

"What about Mamoru? Do you want to see him? Will he make you feel better?"

Leaning back from their embrace, Usagi wiped away her last tear. "Yeah… kind of…"

Minako smiled and nodded.

After she had called and hung up with Mamoru, Minako exchanged another few words with the crying odango-head before stepping out of the room to see Seiya. He was sitting against the wall across the door while he idly played with Coco. With the saddest blue eyes Minako has ever seen, the idol looked up to the blonde.

"Is she okay?" Seiya stood up looking worried.

"She's fine." Minako answered.

"Do you… do you think I could… go in there?"

She shook her head. "Seiya, if you so much as turn the doorknob, she will tear you a new asshole."

If it was a joke Minako was trying to make, Seiya did not find it funny. Sadly, he nodded his head and looked down in understanding knowing that he really, REALLY fucked up.

"I guess I'll go then."

"Yeah, I think you should, too." Minako was not trying to sound like a bitch but he did make her best friend cry and she really did not want to see anyone else hurt tonight. It was truly for the best if he left. Politely, she walked Seiya to Makoto's front door and opened it for him.

"Seiya…?"

As he was walking out he turned around instinctively as Minako said his name; though he turned around to a completely different person.

"When this all blows over, you should come back next week. And don't be too scared to invite Yaten and Taiki along, too! Have a good night!" Her smile stretched across her face reaching both ears.

And then the idol was then staring deep into a wooden door after Minako slammed it shut. After blinking in confusion he went on his way down the hall to the elevator and pressed the button to go down. He waited only a few seconds before the elevator bell rang and the doors opened to reveal that tennis douche, Mamoru.

"Oh hey… Seiya, right?" the other black-haired man pointed at the idol.

Seiya's muscles stiffened as his throat closed at the sight. Why, why was he here?

"Yeah, nice to see you again," Seiya said as he walked past Mamoru into the elevator as the older man did the opposite. The musician had never lied through his teeth so hard in his life.

"That's a cute dog you have there," Mamoru said smiling at Coco, "See you later."

He refused to answer him. Even if Seiya was in a good mood, he felt like it was that very man that kept Usagi so distant from him… and it was disheartening. Unfortunately, it took a long while for the doors to close—long enough for Seiya to see Mamoru knock at the door, Minako answer the door while saying, "Thanks for coming on such short notice, Usagi is in Makoto's bedroom," and Mamoru walk into the apartment he had just exited. That lump inside his throat grew tenfold knowing that she would rather see Mamoru than him… another first that he could only have experienced with Usagi.

While he still had signal, Seiya tried one last attempt to reach Usagi by texting her: **"I didnt mean to hurt u……im sorry"**.

He waited all night to realize that she was not going to text him back.


	6. The Revelation

**Holy bejesus, I'm sooooooooooo sorry for taking so long for an update. I would have to say that it was due to not having sufficient time to write and mild writer's block. All excuses aside, I am truly sorry for making y'all wait forever and a day for this chapter. Again, I wish to extend a great appreciation for everyone who reviews and hopefully I can resume updating at a regular pace again.**

**I love you all!**

_**I've known for a long time that  
**__**You have someone precious  
**__**Because it's clear from your smile**_

Her three and one-half-inch wedged sandals padded lightly down the gray sidewalk on her journey down the street. She was practically skipping and dancing on cloud nine. Usagi hummed a little made-up tune to herself while she spun the straps of her little clutch purse around her wrist. She dolled herself up extra nice for this day: she wore a new dress she had only bought an hour before with Minako and Ami, she stole some of her mother's make-up to enhance her light blue eyes, and the only reason why she even opted to wear a sandal with a heel was to elongate her legs.

Yesterday's drama had left her drained with a new level of low self-esteem. Never had she thought that she could feel like such shit; but of course, leave it to the famous Seiya Kou to accomplish it. Usagi considered herself a strong and happy girl. Yeah she did not live the life of a regular high school student, but she was still happy. To have someone popular come into her life completely put her off-balance in so many ways—good and bad. She welcomed some aspects of the new energy introduced by Seiya, but he proved that it was not all good energy. She could not imagine such pressure for all her life: to have a lot of sex in order to sustain your popularity. Though for now she just wanted things to be back to normal.

Mamoru came and saved the day for the thousandth time in her life. Once she saw him enter Makoto's room yesterday through her teary eyes, they soon fell down her face in joyfulness. Beside the fact that he was her love interest she also saw him as her best friend that could cure all her sadness. He took her in such a warm and inviting embrace that soothed her sobbing self. Almost five minutes later, her eyes dried up and she was all smiles. It was as if he knew what a girl wanted, what she needed, what USAGI needed. And so he invited her for a dinner date and movie for the next evening.

So now Usagi knew it was time. It was time that she told him of how she felt. He just passed the ultimate test of being there for her and caring about her well-being. Even though things did not go as planned at the Crown earlier in the week, she only considered it a speed bump in their road to a relationship. She needed to stop fooling herself and stop hiding behind such childishness. Older men only befriended little girls and did not date them. She needed to be a woman, to be bold, to be his.

She barely heard the beeping sound emitting from her purse before taking out her cell phone to read the text she received from Mamoru.

"**Ready when you are!"**

Usagi smiled and answered him with a slight, **"K on my way."** She pressed the back button on her touch screen to view all her texts from earlier in the day and the previous day. She had only received two other texts from Minako from today and was still able to read what Seiya had sent her only minutes after he left Makoto's apartment.

She sighed. Sure she was over his little comment and she could tell how sorry he was even through his text. But she concluded that she had better things and better people to deal with. She could forgive him, but then she thought about if her forgiveness even mattered to Seiya. He was a totally different person with totally different values and different perspective. Usagi knew she was being a bit mean by not answering him back right away but she felt that maybe he needed this slice of humble pie. He needed to realize that not every girl is going to grovel at his feet at each empty apology he gave her.

As she completely exited her text messaging application, she looked up to the gray sky while she heard a distant clap of thunder. A storm was approaching that seemed to come from nowhere.

* * *

He heard a constant rapping at his door as he jumped at the flash of lighting that barely preceded the loud clap of thunder. Mamoru ran to open his front door and discovered a slightly wet Usagi, though her ensemble was not completely ruined.

"You're finally here! Hurry!" the black-haired man smiled as he opened the door wider to welcome the odango-head in.

Usagi giggled after she ran into the coolness of Mamoru's house and he closed the front door shut.

"Goodness, that storm just appeared out of nothingness! I can't believe how fast it came," the blonde heaved.

"I know. I didn't see anything about it on the weather until about ten minutes ago. Here, let me get you a towel."

Usagi smiled stupidly as she watched his figure retreat down the hall to his bathroom. He was wearing some nice slacks that accented his legs and butt perfectly and his dress shirt tucked in ever so nicely to shape his muscular and thin abdomen. If she could, she would drool all over his floor.

To distract herself from her fantasies, the blonde looked around the living room of her secret love and his cute roommate. It was decorated nicely… quite nicely. And it was very clean like always. She had visited Mamoru's house a couple of times but she was not one to know exactly what two bachelors' living space is supposed to look like. Though even she could tell it was nicer than a usual bachelor pad. The curtains matched the furniture that matched the rugs that matched the decorations. She imagined many future snuggle sessions in the perfectly fluffed couch after today.

Mamoru returned promptly with a towel. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Mamoru-kun," Usagi smiled and started dabbing at her chest. She craned her neck especially far back to give Mamoru a full view of her slightly revealed chest. She made sure it was slightly revealing when she bought her dress. Her blue eyes barely opened only to catch him distracted by going through the mail on the side table. Usagi growled a bit under her breath and gave up as she finished wiping herself of a few scattered raindrops.

"I hope dinner plans aren't ruined… I'm really looking forward to it."

Mamoru looked over and smiled. "No of course they're not ruined. Just a bit delayed, that's all. Would you like to sit and watch TV for a bit until the rain slows down?"

"Sure!"

The black-haired owner of the house sat on the middle cushion of the sofa and softly patted the cushion beside him. Usagi took that as a hint to sit next to him and did so. Although, she practically sat on top of him as not a millimeter of space was between them and she meant for it to happen that way. But Mamoru thought differently.

"Oh wow, I'm sorry. This couch is old and you just sink right into the middle." He scooted away from her to be more than a foot away.

Usagi sighed at her second failed flirt attempt, though she would press on. "So I didn't really have a chance to ask yesterday but um… how was your week?"

Mamoru shrugged. "It was pretty normal. I went to lunch with Rei on Thursday, that's about it."

Oh HER… Usagi always seemed to forget. "Oh, how is she doing?"

"She's doing well. She has to take her test to be a Shinto priestess next week so she was a little stressed but I have faith in her. She's such a smart girl."

The blonde odango-head nodded lightly, wondering if Mamoru ever said such things about her to other people. "Well that sounds interesting."

"And also she just met this new guy she really likes that works at the temple, too. She was stressing out about him as well since she can't see him as much as she wants to because of this whole priestess thing," Mamoru chuckled, "she's so funny."

"She… likes a guy… other than you?"

Mamoru raised an eyebrow, "Of course, Rei has never liked me."

"Ah well… I mean you guys just seemed so close…"

He chuckled at her comment. "Usa, what's gotten into you today? You're acting strangely."

"I am? How so?"

"It's just-… oh never mind. Don't pay any attention to me." Mamoru nervously scratched the back of his head.

"Well that's a bit tough for me," Usagi giggled, "you're a hard guy to ignore."

"Thanks, Usa…" Mamoru laughed but his smile suddenly faltered as Usagi's face came closer to his than ever before and so did her lips.

She could not help herself. His smile was just too tempting to not touch with hers. It was now or never. Before he could even finish his sentence, she just went for it and barely kissed his soft lips. She had never fully made out with anyone before and she did not care at this point as she wanted her first time to be with Mamoru. But her fantasies were soon interrupted by Mamoru pulling back.

"Usa… what-what are you doing?" His eyes held such bewilderment.

What happened? Why did he pull away? Why is he not taking her up into his arms and taking her right there on the couch? Why…?

"I… don't… know… kissing you?" she looked down and away, ready to die from embarrassment.

Mamoru sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Usagi. I… I didn't mean to lead you on."

"Then why did you?!" Usagi's shamefulness turned into rage. That was just what she needed: another man to piss her off.

"Because I thought you would have caught on by now…" Mamoru kept his cool and wanted to keep the peace as much as possible. He knew it was mostly his fault that things turned out the way they have.

"Caught onto what?!"

He sighed heavily to work up the courage to finally say it, to finally spell it out for her. "I'm gay…"

She was not expecting that kind of an answer; DEFINITELY not expected. She suddenly forgot how to breathe and forgot how mad she was as she looked into the deep blue eyes of her, now gay, secret lover.

"W-what…?" Now rage turned into confusion and denial.

"I'm gay."

The second time around was just as hurtful as the first time. She stood up from the couch and paced the room with her hands on her head, hyperventilating. Mamoru just watched her in sympathy.

"You knew… you knew this whole time that I liked you! So why did you only decide to tell me now when I finally decide to confess to you?"

"Usa, I can't express to you how sorry I am. I just didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to stop being my friend."

"Oh so you wait until you reject and embarrass me to tell me? How nice of you to do so," Usagi yelled as she fell to the carpeted floor in hard sobs.

Mamoru was quick to run to her side as he gave her one of his signature embraces. "I'm sorry, Usagi… I really am. I meant to tell you a long time ago but… I didn't want to lose you."

She waited a few minutes to calm down. Even after this whole revelation, he was still able to soothe her soul. "How long… how long have you been dating…?"

"Since I was fourteen." He did not have to wait for her to finish asking to know what her question was.

"And is there someone else? Do you have someone?"

Uh oh, this was another territory he did not want to explore with Usagi. But he had to suck it up; no more lies. He did not want to hurt her anymore than he already has.

"Yes, it's… Motoki. We started seeing each other shortly after you introduced us."

He did not think her blue eyes could get any bigger but they seriously took up half her face in amazement. Mamoru averted his gaze in response. Apparently she had a really rusty gaydar. How could she not have known about the two of them? Him and Motoki: doing everything together, waiting in line for Three Lights singles, having a nicely decorated house. And how could she not have known about him alone: walking into the same dressing room as Rei, ignoring all Usagi's advances… how could she have been so ignorant and just so damned stupid? Her infatuation with Mamoru could be the only reason she was so blind for all these years. Her mother could see it, so how many others saw it too and just decided to leave her in the dark as well? Her heart sank deeper with every answer Mamoru gave her.

"So when Rei told me that you were brave… what was that about?" she already knew the answer, but she had to ask.

"I just came out to my family last year. They almost disowned me… but I'm slowly talking to my mom again." By this point, the raven-haired man was rubbing Usagi's back, still trying to calm her anger.

All these secrets… so many secrets; she thought she knew everything about him. But now she did not know who he was anymore. He was Mamoru Chiba: homosexual tennis pro on his way to medical school instead of a completely heterosexual man dating high school oddball: Usagi Tsukino. She was so mad at herself. She was so mad at him.

"I-I have to go…" she stood up out of Mamoru's arms. He promptly followed her up.

"Don't go, Usa. Let's talk about this. I don't want you to leave so angry. Please stay…"

"Congratulations on telling your family. I'll see you at school." She was rapidly making her way to the front door, her gaze never moving from it.

"Usagi," Mamoru stepped in front of the saddened and enraged blonde to keep her from leaving. "Don't go."

"Please move, Mamoru."

He looked sternly into her eyes. "No…"

"Please, move! I can't stay here with you. You don't know how hard it is or how much I'm hurting right now. I can't stay here." Salty tears started welding back up in her eyes. "I need to go."

"But it's pouring outside. You'll catch a cold. I can't send you out there by yourself in the rain. At least let me call you a cab. Will you let me call you a cab?"

Usagi sighed heavily. Mamoru took that as a yes.

"Stay here… okay? Stay here!" He put his hands on her shoulders before he took off toward the other end of the living room to call a cab. He would only take five steps before he heard the door open and slam shut and turned to see Usagi nowhere in sight.

* * *

She had been walking for hours… three hours to be exact. It took twenty minutes by a bus ride to get all the way from her house to Mamoru's and she did not even want to think about how long it took if one was walking. But all she knew was that she was only halfway to her home and the rain fell harder than when it started. She was soaked and cold… but her emotional pain and embarrassment numbed any physical feeling. She just wanted to go home… she just wanted to crawl in her bed and never come out.

Just as she was about to replay the earlier scene with her and Mamoru for the thousandth time, an expensive sports car drove up and slowed next to her. She figured it was some "good Samaritan" that wanted to give her a lift out of the rain. But it already happened twice before tonight with some sleazy business men sticking their greasy, comb-over heads out of their driver's window who wanted to "take her home." She was ready to throw any insult she could at this next car that was slowing down… until she heard a familiar name from a familiar voice.

"Odango? Odango, is that you?!"

* * *

It was 11:30 PM and they were already calling it a night. The Three Lights found themselves in a car going only about twenty miles an hour in the pouring rain with Taiki at the wheel, whom was slightly intoxicated. They had already made a pit stop at a twenty-four hour McDonald's to feed Yaten's beer munchies and already he would not shut up. Seiya wished he was under the influence so he would not care so much about the silver-haired man's yapping or life. But no matter how much he drank, he just could not get drunk. It was just one of those nights… all because of one girl.

He wanted so badly to send her another text; hell, he wanted to send about ten more since she did not respond the last night. He constantly was checking his phone all day and night (even at the party) to make sure he did not respond too late even if she did text him back. He was fooled a couple of times with other random texts here and there from other girls. Though, no other girl could satisfy what only Usagi could. He now understood what he was singing about all this time.

"Holy shit, it's like fucking Niagara Falls out here. I thought God promised he would only flood the earth one time," Yaten blabbed in between shoving fries in his mouth.

"Depends on which god you believe in," Taiki responded as he took a swig of a beer.

"I'm too lazy to believe in one… it looks like so much work. It's kind of like life… living is work!"

"Yes—having all the fame and women and money at your disposal is just so hard to handle." Taiki sarcastically patronized Yaten.

"C'mon! I've heard you crying in the bathroom a few times."

"You heard nothing that night!" the tallest Light took his wide eyes off the road to look at the silver-haired passenger.

"The people living two doors down could even hear your blubbering." Yaten let himself go by laughing so hard, it turned silent. He was proud of his joke.

"Yeah, well, I still have that tape of you…"

"What?" Suddenly Yaten stopped laughing. "What do you mean by that? What did you film, you pervert?!"

Seiya sighed loudly, trying to let on to his annoyance to his two bickering band mates in the front seat. If only he were the least bit tipsy, it would be easier to handle. As he disappointedly glanced at his phone again, he attempted to look outside through the waterfall that fell down his window just for a quick distraction. Through the blurriness of it all, he was able to spot a figure sauntering down the sidewalk. He was suddenly intrigued—what was someone doing out in this rain? As Seiya squint his eyes to try to make out if it was really a person walking on the sidewalk, he was able to decipher that the person had long blonde hair and what looked like two flimsy buns atop her head. Could it be?

"Hey Taiki, can you slow down?"

The two boys paused in their trivial banter for Taiki to answer. "What?"

"Slow down! Slow down a bit." Seiya did not have time to explain as he rolled down the window since he did not want to pass the pedestrian. Taiki obliged with the request.

He only let the window down halfway to get a better look at the sauntering figure. Sure enough, he was right. By the looks of her slumped shoulders and slow walking, she might have had a bad day or rather is HAVING a bad day; a worse day than yesterday, perhaps? Her dress was weighed down by the heavy rainwater and her odangos atop her head had lost their roundness and sadly slumped above her ears.

"Odango? Odango, is that you?!"

Usagi paused a bit in her walking, amazed and terrified at the same time of Seiya gracing her presence at the worst and weirdest of times. Oh God, why? Not him. Not now. She did not want to face him and be ridiculed for being such a stupid virgin again. He and his perfect life would just push her over the edge. Why did it have to be HIM that would find her cold, alone and in the rain? Why could it not have been anyone else?

"No, Seiya, it's not me. You're mistaken!" She did not even avert her eyes to look into his. She was ready to finish this journey home the way she started it.

"What? Odango, what are you doing? Why are you out here?"

"It doesn't concern you. Just leave me alone for once." She was not getting mad; he just caught her at the wrong time.

It did not look like he would be able to coerce her in the car with just words. From what he could tell, she was on the verge of a monstrous cold and maybe mental breakdown. He wanted to redeem himself. Destiny put her at this very spot for a for him to find her and make it up to her. He could not pass up the opportunity.

"Taiki, stop the car," he demanded.

Being the obliging drunk driver that he was, the brunette slammed on the brakes while slightly hydroplaning. On the passenger's side, Yaten's seatbelt did not lock from the sudden halt and his late-night meal ended up all over the floorboard.

"What the fuck?! Your car hates me!" Yaten yelled, hinting at the fact that he almost slammed and broke his nose on the dash.

Not hearing what Taiki had to say back, Seiya opened the door and jumped out of the car to run toward Usagi.

"Odango, wait! Wait a second." He stepped in front of her and put his hands on her arms to stop her.

"Seiya, don't you listen at all? I said leave me alone! I don't want to hear your bullshit right now. Just leave me alone!" Usagi pried her arms from the pop star's grip and pushed him away.

"Wait, no! Odango, please wait…" Again, Seiya caught up with the downtrodden blonde and stepped in front of her, grabbing her arms. This time when he repeated his action, she put up more of a fight as she tried to push him off by trying to wriggle out of his grip and punching at his chest.

"What is wrong with you? Let me go!" she kept yelling.

He knew that he could not and would not let her go. His grip on her arms tightened and he held her tight to his body.

"Stop, I'm not here to hurt you! Just calm down for a second! I'm not gonna let you go! I'm not leaving!"

It seemed as if she had finally lost all strength to fight him off and just decided to stop. She was so close to him that she could almost hear his heartbeat and it was calming. Both teenagers stood for a moment in the pouring rain—hearing nothing but the clapping of thunder and the rumble of Taiki's engine—letting their clothes and body get wetter and colder by the second. Seiya took in this sight of such vulnerability and his heart called out to her. His grip slightly loosened, but stayed tight just enough to where she could not run out of it.

"I'm not here to cause trouble… I promise. I just want to take you home. Is that okay? Can I take you home, Odango?" He craned his neck and bent down to look into her saddened and teary blue eyes that were looking toward the ground.

For a split second, she returned the gaze back into his cobalt blue eyes through her golden bangs. It took another few seconds for her to nod her head in defeat. He sounded so sincere…

"Okay, c'mon." He turned her around as she led the way through the open door of the backseat of the car. Once they both were in, Taiki started his slow pace again.

"Oi, so we finally meet," the brown-haired boy said, looking into the rearview mirror.

Usagi managed to let out a courtesy chuckle between her chattering teeth. "Um, yeah…"

"Would you like a fry?" Yaten offered as he held up his McDonald's bag. The fries seemed to have magically ended up back in the bag.

"Don't give those to her! Don't take one, Usagi, they all fell all over the floorboard," Taiki argued in the blonde's best interest.

"So what? You know the dirtiest place in the world is your mouth? I highly doubt the floorboard carries AIDS." Yaten fought back.

"Taiki, we need to take Usagi home." Seiya took it upon himself to interrupt the third banter that was about to start as he took off his jacket that was drenched.

"Right, right… Where do you live, Usagi?"

"I live on 1st and Banchi," the blonde answered meekly while keeping her gaze out the window.

"Ah, I know where that is…" Taiki turned on his blinker and was ready to take a left turn only to repeat his horrible braking skills from the earlier event. This time, Yaten's food fell all over the floorboard again but the seatbelt saved him from a nose job. Looking through the front window, one could see that only a few hundred yards away lay a road flooded with knee-high water and many stalled cars that had quixotically dared to drive through it.

"You're… not going home." Yaten stated the obvious.

* * *

Usagi did not utter another word the whole car ride back to the Three Lights' apartment. It was just as she expected though: it was in a high-rise that lay right in the middle of an affluent district, a nicely-dressed doorman greeted them at their entrance, and their living room was bigger than her whole house. Because of all this, she felt a little bad for making a trail of water from the entrance to the elevator to the Three Lights' front door. Yet she realized that Seiya was helping her out with the water trail. Such a crazy boy he was to run out in the rain like that.

It was a bit surreal for the blonde oddball: to actually be in the apartment of the Three Lights and then in Seiya's bedroom. Never had she even considered herself to be one of those girls who would know the color of his bed sheets or how many trophies lined his wall. Usagi promised herself to not be another notch under his belt. But she also promised herself to Mamoru and look at how well that turned out.

She sight heavily, feeling slightly regretful of being so mean to him earlier. But who could blame her? Not even a day ago he made fun of her for her moral behavior. Not even a day ago he acted like a selfish asshole. And now not even a day later he was offering her a ride home and the warmth of his lavish apartment. She will never understand boys. But she was ever so grateful.

Quietly, she stood in the middle of his room looking like a sad, wet puppy. More water dropped to the floor and formed a circle around her from the shape of her dress. She watched Seiya rummage through his dresser to find some dry clothes for her to wear.

"Well, it's not much, but I can guarantee it will be comfortable," the raven-haired star joked, trying to lighten the mood. He handed the wet Usagi a t-shirt and what looked like workout shorts. Though, his eyes could not help but steal a glance at her glistening chest her dress so graciously did not cover.

She accepted the clothes and reluctantly looked up into Seiya's eyes for the first time since they talked in the rain. She made it a point the whole car ride to not look at his face because of her shame. Even though he did not know the embarrassing details of what happened between her and Mamoru, Usagi felt like her foolery was written all over her face.

"Thanks… thanks a lot," she mumbled and tried to muster a smile.

Seiya looked into Usagi's stare and smiled back. "You're welcome."

The blonde gulped loudly and returned her gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry for-"

"You don't have to be sorry," Seiya sharply cut off Usagi, "I was out of line and an asshole yesterday, I know. You had every right to be upset so there's no need for an apology."

She bit her lip and nodded. "Well you've certainly redeemed yourself."

The weight lifted from his shoulders and his heart almost fluttered out of his chest. "I'm glad… Do you need to call your mom and tell her you're not coming home?"

"My mom already thinks I'm staying at Mina's…" With that timid response, the odango-head looked down in humiliation.

He nodded slowly and almost had the courage to ask of the story behind her answer but then he realized Usagi was still standing in the middle of his room soaking wet and more than likely chilled to the bone.

"You can change in my bathroom if you'd like." He pointed behind himself with his thumb indicating that the bathroom door was right behind him.

Again, she nodded and made her way past Seiya into the bathroom. The idol watched Usagi until she closed the door and turned on the light. Slowly, he shed his wet clothes and discarded them into a corner where the rest of his dirty laundry lay. Even though he had Usagi's forgiveness, he could not help but feel something else contributed to her depressed state tonight. And there it was again with him thinking about her and caring about her feelings and all… he was such an idiot. The one time he actually falls for a girl and she was already smitten with someone else. Someone who had cared long before he knew what caring was. Maybe only having relationships that lasted as long as one was drunk was not so bad after all.

Ten minutes had passed and he was dried off as if he had never stepped out in the rain in the first place. And yet, Usagi had yet to depart from the bathroom. Seiya felt it would not hurt to check on her. Maybe she decided to take a shower.

He gently knocked on the door. "Odango, you okay?"

Nothing.

Maybe she had fallen asleep? Maybe she was secretly a drug addict and overdosed? Or maybe she had climbed and escaped out the window. But neither of those would make very much sense.

He knocked again, this time a little louder, "Odango?" And again, there was no response. This was a little strange and a little scary. In a rush, Seiya opened the door wide to his relief of finding Usagi still in the bathroom. She was leaning over the vanity clothed in his t-shirt and shorts and her wet hair laid down her back out of its respective hairdo. Seiya could tell she had been crying by the look of her bloodshot eyes as she took her face from her hands at his entrance. The two teenagers stared at one another for a moment before Usagi quickly started to dry her face of her tears.

"I'm sorry. Was I in here too long? Did you need to go to the bathroom? I'm leaving now…" she tried to suppress her sobs and sniffles as if she was not crying at all. She had held it in for so long and thought she could cry silently in the solitude of the bathroom. But apparently she drew more suspicion than she wanted.

"Are you okay?" Seiya asked, wide-eyed and curious.

"Yeah, yeah…" she started on her way to exit the bathroom past Seiya, her head hanging toward the ground.

"Really now? I don't believe you." The idol stepped in Usagi's way to prevent her from walking through.

"No, really, I am. I'm just tired." She nervously chuckled as she failed to convince him and tried to side-step to get out of the bathroom and out of the situation. But again, Seiya would not have it.

"No you're not…" he stated as he put his hands on her shoulders to keep her still. "Did something happen tonight before I saw you?" She seemed in more of a devastated emotion than she was yesterday. Where was Mamoru? Why was she not calling him over as her source of comfort? Why was she not crying in front of HIM? Dare he ask?

"Is it… is it Mamoru?" Seiya then saw her face drop and her eyes immediately become glossy.

That was it. She could not hold it in any longer. And she did not seem to care that it was Seiya she was confiding in. She just needed SOMEONE. She buried her sobbing face into his chest as he welcomed it by embracing her. Usagi could not help but just yell it out point blank.

"He's gay!"

The fact of Usagi screamed out her response took him by surprise, yet even he knew already that Mamoru was a little limp-wristed. He was amazed that she had liked him for so long without knowing. From the look of how hard she was taking the news, she had not realized it for a while.

"That bastard led me on for so long… supposedly he saw it as being nice," Usagi took her head from Seiya's chest to wipe away her tears, "He knew that I loved him and he didn't say a goddamn thing. And what's worse is that he's actually with someone! It's not enough that he's not into girls but that he actually has a partner. But what does he do? He invites me on a date tonight and I stupidly take that opportunity to kiss him. I couldn't just SAY my feelings like a normal person; I had to put myself out there like a fucking jackass and end up getting rejected. And that's when I found out about him. The fucker had to wait until I actually made a move to tell me. But then I left… and that's where you found me."

All this was said in between heavy sighs and sniffles. And Seiya just stood there listening intently to Usagi's rant. He felt so terrible for her that she had to find out when and the way she did. But he also could not help but feel happiness that Mamoru was out of his way… for good.

"I just feel so stupid," Usagi finished. It seemed that she was able to calm herself down after spilling her guts.

Seiya took the odango-head back into his arms. "Well maybe now you can concentrate on boys who actually like you…"

Usagi snorted. "Yeah right, you're funny." After she chuckled at what she took as a joke, she returned the hug.

"Thank you, Seiya. I'm sorry that you had to find me like this… I'm really not this emotional or high maintenance."

The Light chuckled. "Believe me, you're a dream."

And he proved once again that he is the master of flattery. Usagi giggled and blushed. "You don't have to keep flattering me. I already forgive you…"

"Well I figured I need to put some out there for any future mistakes. C'mon, let's watch some TV. I'm not quite tired yet," Seiya offered.

* * *

The two teenagers sat on the ends of the couch as they idly watched a movie. It had already been about an hour or so and both of them sat in a comfortable silence watching the moving pictures. Seiya looked over at Usagi who was curled up by the arm of the sofa. Her golden hair spilled over her shoulder and all down her back and all over the couch; the pop star found himself staring into the shiny waterfall. His eyes then made their way down her creamy legs that he still fantasized about wrapped around his waist. He had to take a deep breath to calm himself. Though now the gears in his head started to turn. With Mamoru out of the way, maybe Usagi would now respond agreeably to his advances.

"How long were you out there walking?" Seiya started to say as the commercials came on.

"Three hours. I wouldn't recommend it. My feet are going to hate me tomorrow," Usagi sighed.

"I'm sorry. Would you like a foot rub?"

She gave him a quizzical and skeptical look. "You want to rub my feet?"

Seiya shrugged. "Well what kind of guy would I be to let your feet hurt in the morning?"

Usagi grabbed her feet and blushed. "I don't know…"

"Goodness, I've never known a girl to actually decline a foot rub." The idol just grabbed at her foot and practically yanked it in his lap. He softly started to rub the bottom of her it. From the other side of the couch, he could hear the blonde moan in satisfaction.

"That feels good…" she closed her big blue eyes and sighed in serenity.

Seiya kept up his magic for a few minutes before moving up on her ankle. "I've forgot to ask earlier but how has your ankle been since you've been off crutches?"

She kept her look of contentment. "Good. It would be better if it were rubbed."

He chuckled as his hands ventured up her calf. Usagi laughed to herself.

"This feels familiar…" she eyed him skeptically once again, hinting at their earlier massage session.

Seiya's playfulness then turned seductive as he looked into the blonde's eyes for a few moments before retorting back.

"Well this time we won't have anyone interrupting us."

She slowly opened her eyes as her demeanor then turned sensual as well. "Well then what are you waiting for?"

He was not stupid enough to ask twice. Seiya swiftly crawled to the other side of the couch—on top of Usagi—as he strategically placed himself in between her legs. He took a moment to look deep into her eyes that called to him in more ways than one. He gradually closed his eyes and lowered his lips onto hers as he relished in her taste. For what seemed like hours did they let their lips and tongues send their messages of passion and lust. Usagi's legs tightly wove themselves around Seiya's waist as he let one hand stroke her thigh, letting it slink up her shorts to feel her hips. He felt his manhood stiffen immediately after he learned that she was not wearing any underwear. He felt himself already on the verge of pure ecstasy from hearing Usagi moan into his mouth.

Seiya's other hand found its way up her shirt to eventually massage one of her breasts. The blonde momentarily broke their kiss to cry out in sheer pleasure from it. The raven-haired idol might as well have heard angels sing.

Wanting to pleasure her more, Seiya grasped on the elastic of her shorts and pulled them down; with Usagi lifting her bottom to aid him in his task. Once the shorts were discarded across the living room, he returned to giving all his concentration on the half-naked beauty that lay under him. His erection grew from the beautiful sight before him. Seiya's hand stroked her thighs once more before heading toward her womanhood. He could feel her breathing quicken from anticipation on his warm, glistening neck.

"Seiya…?" Usagi asked through her heaving.

The idol started kissing the odango-head's neck. "Yes, Odango?"

"Seiya?" she questioned again.

He moved his head up to look into her half-open eyes. "Yes?"

"Seiya…? Seiya?"

* * *

"Seiya? Seiya, wake up."

The teenage idol was finally shaken awake by Usagi's last attempt to do so. He blinked his eyes open to finally come out of his dream… his beautiful, amazing… dream. Usagi stood in front of him with a concerned look on her face.

"I guess you were more tired than you thought. You seriously only rubbed my foot for two seconds before you passed out," she joked.

What a tool. What a fucking tool he was.

"Oh… sorry, I guess I was… tired…" Seiya could have sworn what had happened in his dream was reality. Why was it not reality?!

"You seemed to be having a great dream."

"I did?" the pop star blushed, "How so?"

"You were groaning. Do you remember what it was about?" Usagi giggled.

"Uh, no," Seiya lied. What else was he supposed to do?

"I just wanted to wake you so you could sleep in your bed. I can take the couch for the night."

"What? No, you're not sleeping on the couch." Seiya responded in almost disgust.

"Well you've already done enough by letting me stay over. I can't take your bed. I won't feel right."

He stood up to better face and take down the blonde. "But then I would not feel right knowing I let a beautiful lady sleep on the couch."

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Are you sure? I really don't have a problem if I were on the couch…"

"Please, I would sleep better knowing that you were in a bed." He smiled genuinely.

She smiled back and looked down. "Thanks, Seiya…" she said giving him a goodnight hug, "thanks for everything."

He stayed standing as he watched Usagi retreat into his room and close the door, ready to retire for the night. God, he still could not believe himself. It was seriously a cruel joke on God's part to let men have such dreams like that. Her skin had felt so warm, her cries so passionate. Though, Seiya knew if things could not have moved that fast anyway; she had only discovered the truth about Mamoru only hours ago. These things took time.

Staring off into nothingness, his mind started to rewind and replay the earlier events of the night: finding her in the street, taking her into an embrace as she confided in him, and bidding him a sincere goodnight. He started to relay all the emotions he felt from each happening. Never before had his heart called out to anyone so strongly, never before had he cared. As all these thoughts flooded his mind, he closed his eyes only to see musical notes dance across his eyelids.

Quickly he made his way to the piano, with a song in mind.

* * *

**Quick end note: DON'T EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER DRINK AND DRIVE. That is all :)**


	7. The Aftermath

**Hey guys. Here's the next installment; it's a little short but I just wanted to get something out for y'all. I hope everyone enjoys! :)**

_**Though it's true I spend some nights  
Feeling so sad, so sad  
And feeling a tightening in my chest**_

She cracked open the door as her light blue eyes peeked from the one-inch opening between it and the doorframe. All that the blonde could see was the back of a couch and a full head of thick raven hair resting on the arm rest; Seiya was still asleep. Slowly Usagi opened the door wider as she tip-toed out of the bedroom and through the living room dressed in her still damp sundress and holding her painful wedge sandals to aid her in her silent swiftness. Mildly loud creaks could be heard as she put weight on certain places on the wooden floor where she stepped, but none were loud enough to wake the sleeping idol. Quickly and as quietly as she could, Usagi opened the front door and closed it to make her way down the hall to the elevator.

Making her way down to the lobby and out the sliding doors, she diligently ran to the nearest bus stop while turning a few heads. Luckily the odango-head caught the bus right before it was to leave. After she paid her fare and took her seat, Usagi opened her purse to retrieve her cell phone that was powered off. She sighed heavily as she turned the device back on, expecting the number of texts and calls from Mamoru to be numerous. She knew he would try to call and convince her to come back and whatnot yesterday, but she just did not want to hear of it; she did not want to hear his voice—for once in her life. Every time she let her mind think about it, she could not help but get that cold chill throughout her spine. The chill was an emotional rollercoaster that was like clockwork: she would feel anger, embarrassment, sadness, and then embarrassment again. Usagi never expected for her world to come crashing down so fast.

Sure she was grateful for Seiya. Out of all the things he could have done—kept driving, tease her, or try to seduce her—he acted like a perfect human being and, dare she say, gentleman. And though her feelings for the Light had slowly grown to a light crush, she still could not get Mamoru off her mind. How could she? She considered him her first love for so long; she was in love with him for so long. No one could forget a love so fast and she knew that the time to heal would be long and hard. What was worse was that she would have to face Mamoru at school during this said healing process.

After her phone had powered on completely, she immediately looked at her notifications: ten calls and three texts from Mamoru, two calls and two texts from Minako, and one call from her mother. This was going to be one hell of a story to tell.

* * *

"Usagi Tsukino!!!" yelled a loud voice that rang throughout the locker room; it held a tone of assertiveness and anger.

The blonde beauty looked over to see Minako stomping over to her.

"Where have you been all weekend? I've been trying to get a hold of you! Why haven't you returned my calls or answered my texts?! What happened?"

Usagi expected this; she knew what she was getting into with her best friend when she decided to not respond to her calls and texts.

"A lot happened…" she answered with her eyes looking toward the ground as she closed her locker.

"Okay, so… tell me!" Minako demanded as she began walking with Usagi. "Did you tell Mamoru? What did he say? Did you turn off your phone because you were fooling around with him all night?" The bubbly blonde elbowed her friend and winked.

"Nope," the odango-head bluntly answered.

"What? Don't tell me you chickened out!"

"Oh no, I didn't chicken out… I did the opposite of chickening out: I kissed him."

Minako gasped. "You did?! How cute! So he just wanted to take it slow or something?"

Usagi was beating around the bush for a reason. Yeah Minako was her best friend and had been with her through thick and thin and would be the first person she would tell any secret to, but her embarrassment kept her from coming right out with it.

"Um no, he actually rejected me."

Minako's jaw dropped in horror and shock. "What?!! What a prick! Is it because he fucking that stupid slut Rei or whatever the hell her name is?!"

"No… he's fucking Motoki."

"Moto-whoa, whoa!" Minako had to catch herself in her rage. "Wait a minute… do you mean OUR Motoki? Motoki from Crown?! Motoki Furuhata?!"

Usagi just simply nodded.

"HE'S GAY??!!" the long-haired blonde could not believe what she just discovered.

"Minako!" the odango-head tried to quiet her friend down on account she was drawing attention. "Please not so loud…"

"Oh… my… GOD!! I knew there was something weird with Mamoru. I just knew it!! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!"

"Really, Mina? Glad of you to share with me beforehand before I decided to make a fool out of myself," Usagi said rolling her eyes.

"What? I didn't know either. All I figured was that he was a total tease to you. But being gay actually never crossed my mind. But it does really explain a lot… how did you find out?!"

The two blondes stopped in front of the doorframe of their classroom as class was not about to start for another ten minutes.

"Well he finally told me after I completely embarrassed myself by trying to kiss him…" tears were ready to weld up in Usagi's eyes as she looked everywhere but at Minako.

"God, Usagi, that's soooo fucked up he didn't tell you until now! So what did you end up doing after that?"

Oh no… it was hard enough telling Minako about Mamoru but even just the thought of talking about what happened with Seiya made Usagi dread the response. Maybe if she could just leave out a few details, she could escape from the conversation unharmed.

"Um… well I left his house of course…"

Minako nodded her head slowly as she followed the short sentence of the odango-head and was expecting more. "And…?"

She smiled nervously and started to sweat. The inner battle to tell Minako or not was killing her slowly. She needed to stall until the bell rang. This was going to be the longest ten minutes of her life.

"And-"

"Oi, Odango!"

Saved! She sighed heavily and smiled at the pretty boy approaching her and Minako, "Hey, Seiya," Usagi greeted.

"I just came by to return your belt you left at the apartment," the Seiya stated as he started to hand Usagi an all too familiar black belt.

That stupid dick! Why, just WHY did this always happen to her: just when she thought that Seiya would redeem himself, he decided to go and pull something like that? He ruins everything! Usagi's body stiffened and her sweat soon fell in waterfalls as she looked at Minako who was just as immobile.

"Um… you were at Seiya's apartment…?" Minako's tone and facial expression became sensuous.

She did not know what to do. What could she do? It was not as if she could run away… or maybe she could…? Oh God, what was she thinking?!

"Yeah, I found her walking in the rain Saturday night and her street was too flooded to drive down so she spent the night," Seiya said, graciously volunteering unwanted information.

"She did, did she?!" The blonde with the red bow in her hair was grinning like the Cheshire cat. Usagi could not tell if Minako was thinking perverted thoughts or thinking perverted thoughts. All the odango-head knew was that Seiya was going to be dead by first period.

Seiya raised an eyebrow and turned to Usagi. "You didn't tell her?"

"Well, she didn't tell me YET…" Minako answered for her best friend.

The idol chuckled as he started thinking perverted thoughts as well. Usagi was so cute trying to keep her secrets and whatnot. "Odango, if you had wanted me to keep it a secret, I would have… but there's no use hiding the truth…"

Usagi's head whipped to look at Seiya—her heart pounding out of her chest cavity and annoyance growing in the pit of her stomach.

"So what exactly did you guys do for a night?" Minako grinned.

"What do you think?" Seiya rhetorically asked as he waved the folded black belt in his hands, "We couldn't find handcuffs."

The petite blonde finally fell over the edge as she growled and snatched her belt from Seiya only to commence in hitting him with it. Though it did pain his body, the black-haired boy could not help but giggle as he tried to defend himself poorly from Usagi's lashing. Minako was laughing at the sight as well.

When the odango-head was finally done, she stomped inside the classroom to seat herself in her desk. Minako and Seiya took a moment to catch their breaths from laughing so hard.

"Are you okay? That sounded like it hurt."

"Oh, that's nothing compared to the welts she gave me this weekend…"

Usagi's golden ears failed her not as she ran back to the doorframe and repeated her beating on Seiya.

* * *

The day went by slow for Usagi, especially because Minako could not keep her god damned mouth shut and told Makoto and Ami about her weekend. Though the brunette and blue-haired friends were a little more sympathetic for the odango-head's situation, they would not stop interrogating her about what happened with Seiya. It was as if Mamoru was a distant memory and they forgot about him so easily. Usagi wished that were the case with her.

Seiya had joined their group for lunch followed by Yaten and Taiki. It was so awkward for Usagi; all of her friends could not stop giggling to each other and eyeing Seiya. She just decided to stay quiet and only speak when spoken to.

Finally the end of school came and luckily her club meeting was canceled. She really did not feel like drawing or being social at the moment. She just wanted to get her things and go home—she even wanted to avoid talking with her friends and hang out at the Crown. She could not even face Motoki. He and Mamoru probably laughed behind her back all this time for throwing herself at a complete homosexual.

She shoved the last of her things in her bag before closing her locker shut only to be faced with Mamoru. He looked sad and legitimately concerned for her. She choked on her breath for a second as she stared deep into his dark blue eyes. They pulled her in so deeply that Usagi wanted to fall into his arms so he could sweep her off her feet. But that would not happen; she had to keep reminding herself of the terrible situation she put herself in not only two days ago, but for three years.

Mamoru gave a small smile to the blonde beauty. "Hey…" he muttered.

Usagi averted her gaze and took an interest in her shoes. "Hi."

"I take it you made it home safely Saturday night?"

She shrugged. "Well I'm still alive so, yes…"

"You never returned my calls. I was worried about you all weekend."

"Don't worry, I didn't return anybody's calls this weekend." She struggled to sound monotonous and apathetic.

He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Look I know you're upset and it's completely understandable. It was wrong of me to lead you on like that. But I don't want something like this to ruin our friendship. I believe we're stronger than that. I'm sorry, Usa, I really am. I'm so… so sorry. I picked my battles wrong and I'm ready to face the consequences. But please find it in your heart to forgive me. Please, Usa… I truly value you as a friend and a person and I'm ready to do what I can to make it up to you."

She had never heard him sound so desperate before. Did he really care about her that much? Just seeing him practically begging for her forgiveness touched her deeply. Yes, yes of course she forgave him! Though she could not forget; she just could not forget that he was capable of keeping such a huge secret from her. That even though he knew she liked him, he just kept silent and teased her with his "little dates" and tight embraces. She was able to avoid drama for seventeen years of her life and all of a sudden it just fell on her all at once like a pile of bricks. She needed time and space.

"I… I can forgive you. But I just need some time."

Mamoru nodded and took the tiny blonde into his arms. His heart was fluttering and he was so happy that he had his friend back.

"Thank you, Usa. You know I love you so much…"

That word: "love." It was tossed around so carelessly. Sure it let loose the butterflies in Usagi's stomach, but inwardly she knew he meant it in that stupid way of loving her like a sister.

"…and that I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. I promise things will be back to normal," Mamoru finished.

Usagi sighed and slowly returned his hug.

As that happened, Seiya turned around and walked away from the scene.

* * *

Usagi's week somehow made it to Thursday and she decided to take it easy and fill the rest of her time with watching television. It was barely 4:00 PM when she started dozing off after finishing off a huge snack. Though, it would be the doorbell that would disturb her slumber.

"Momma, doorbell!" the odango-head sleepily yelled.

"Usagi, I'm busy. Can you please get that?" Ikuko responded from the depths of the kitchen.

She found herself suddenly in fourth grade as Usagi moaned in complaint and lazily peeled herself off the couch. After a good eye rub she sauntered so slowly to the door that the bell rang again.

"Usagi, get the door!!" Ikuko yelled, sounding very irritated.

"I got it!!!" Usagi yelled back, equally irritated.

Giving herself a last-minute primp, the blond opened the door to be met by a huge man wearing all black and sunglasses.

"Hello, are you Usagi Tsukino?" he asked as he respectfully bowed.

Half scared and half curious, Usagi nodded slowly. She made a mental note that the umbrella holder was at arm's length away.

"I have a package for you." The burly man handed Usagi what looked like a designer purse—or more like a tote bag. She was skeptical at first, but it was Prada and this guy was giving it away. She knew she would be hearing it not only from Minako, but her mother if she was stupid enough not to accept free Prada. As she took it, she could not help but notice that it was a bit heavy.

"Good day, miss." The man in all black bowed and turned on his way to his parked car.

After watching him drive away, Usagi looked at the purse she was holding suspiciously. The good thing was that it was free Prada, but that was the bad thing as well; what was this strange man doing GIVING it away? Could there be a bomb? But why would someone want to kill her? Who would give her a purse? What exactly was going on?

Asking herself all these silent questions, Usagi closed the door to examine exactly what was inside the purse when it moved. It gave the blonde such a scare that she nearly dropped her new gift. Whatever was inside the bag kept moving excitedly and was also crying. It was crying?

Mustering up the courage to look inside, Usagi's mouth dropped in exhilaration as her eyes met those of a tiny orange Pomeranian. Reaching inside and taking it out, the puppy wriggled about and tried hard to lick Usagi's nose. The teenager could not help but squeal in delight as such a sight of cuteness.

"Usagi, who was that? What's going on?" Ikuko jogged into the foyer in curiosity. She then also squealed as she saw the new toy dog in her daughter's hands. "Usagi, where did you get that?!" Ikuko ran up to her blonde offspring and started petting the Pomeranian.

"She was at the door. Someone gave her to me."

"What? Who? Why would someone give you a dog? Did they leave a note or anything?"

Usagi handed the dog off to her mom before digging around in the black tote bag to find a simple white card. On it were the words, "Smile again," and signed with an all too familiar autograph.

In the midst of her baby-talking and petting the dog, Ikuko looked over at her daughter. "So, do you know who your admirer is?"

The blonde softly smiled. "Yeah… it's a friend of mine named Seiya.

* * *

The next day, Usagi made it a point to thank Seiya as the first thing she did. She had good intentions, all right, but kennel training Lala (a name dubbed by her mother after three cocktails) came with all the necessities that included sleep-deprivation. She swore that she would not be able to figure out how such a tiny dog could whine for so long. The blonde only got four hours of slumber after she finally let Lala sleep in bed with her.

And thus, she ran into the classroom with literally only five seconds to spare before first period would start.

So then Usagi caught Seiya right after the lunch bell rang.

"Hey… Seiya," she said, turning around to face the pop star.

He smiled at her. "Oi, Odango. Are you eating lunch with me again today?"

"Well of course. We've eaten together all of this week."

Ever since that fateful night Saturday, Seiya and Usagi's relationship changed to some extent. They started eating lunch together and their bickering changed to playful flirting. Although that was all that it was since Usagi was still working on mending her heart of Mamoru. School was really the only time they did have to be together since the odango-head was never in the mood to be social as much. Seiya did understand, but he also was not big on patience.

The combination of Usagi's anti-social behavior and forgiving Mamoru just made things worse for Seiya's situation. He felt like their relationship was regressing, that she still saw him as a parasite, that she was pushing him away. He was so mad at himself. But he was not one to give up.

After seeing her conversation with Mamoru earlier in the week, he could not help but feel like he was back at square one. Sure Mamoru was gay so there was no chance that he and Usagi would ever date, but he was still in her life and still a big part of it. Love just did not fade away and he knew it, but Seiya was still afraid that that tennis douche would stand in his way. So the idol did what he knew best to win Usagi over.

"Great, I'll go get our lunches." The black-haired boy smiled and stood up only to be faced with Usagi as she stood up as well.

"Um, I just wanted to say thank you for Lala…" the blonde uttered.

Seiya raised an eyebrow. "For who?"

Usagi giggled to herself. "The Pomeranian puppy; we've named her Lala. I want to thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"You're welcome," the raven-haired boy smiled.

After the laughter faded, the blonde decided to turn serious. "So, why…?"

Seiya simply shrugged. "I just want to see you happy again. I remembered how happy you were when we went to that pet store and I figured it's what you needed after this weekend."

Usagi sighed and took Seiya in an embrace. Oh him and his rich spending. But he really was sweet.

"Thank you, Seiya. You're too much."

He chuckled and broke the hug momentarily. "We're recording our new single this evening but we have a couple of hours before we have to go in. Would you like to go to the Crown and get a soda?" Yeah he was kind of, sort of asking her out but he was trying to start nice and slow. The Crown was a casual place and they have been to together before so he saw it as a good start.

But Usagi still was not eating it up. She smiled and looked down. "That sounds like fun, but that's okay. I haven't really been in the mood for any sodas and plus, I have to start saving my allowance so I can pay for Lala's food and grooming."

Shot down once again. Sure Seiya could understand her not being in the mood but he had every intention of paying for her. Though he thought it best not to push it.

"That's fine. Let's eat, I'm starving."

* * *

That annoying beeping sound: Seiya swore that that would be his personal hell. With a heavy hand, he slammed his alarm clock off and attempted to open his eyes. It hurt his head so to try so hard to be awake, but he knew he would get a royal ass-kicking by everyone if he did not make it into the studio today to finish their recording. With a heavy sigh, he sat up slowly to realize that he was completely naked.

As the memories from night before vaguely came back to him, Seiya looked over on the other side of the bed to see a sleeping female figure; long golden hair was spilled all around her body. His heart almost leapt out of his throat. Was it really… was it really her? His hangover was soon forgotten as he leaned over to stroke the golden strands. Something was nagging at the corner of his mind that he did not remember her hair being this dark. But he ignored it and cursed himself for not remembering such a night with her.

But as the sleeping woman turned around to face him, he soon felt blessed that he did not remember. His hand retreated back as if he had touched a hot plate and his jaw dropped in disbelief.

It was all coming back to him: it was a long night of recording and the parties were just getting started. Seiya was broken over Usagi being so distant and the extensive hours spent in the studio. He had already thrown back a few shots before he spotted her across the room. Her back was to him, but he could not take his eyes from her long blonde hair that reminded him of someone else. It did not take him long to walk up to they mystery girl and have his way with her.

And then it all went black.

His thought process was broken as the girl inhaled deeply and stretched to wake herself up. "Mmm… good morning. What time is it?"

Seiya stood up to put his boxers on. "It's nine o'clock."

"Oh God, that's so early. Why are you up so early?"

"We have an appointment at the studio in an hour." The idol was digging through his drawers to pick out clothes for the day.

"Oh that's fun. I've never been to a recording studio." The mystery blonde sat up and hugged her knees as she watched Seiya run around his room.

"You're not coming."

The girl was taken aback by the idol's sudden snappy and blunt comment. She nodded to herself as she understood the hint and started to get out of bed to search for her clothes. "Okay…"

Yaten had awoken an hour earlier in order to exercise and was loading the blender of fruits for his post-workout breakfast. His work was slightly interrupted by the blonde stomping out of Seiya's bedroom and out the front door. Immediately after, she was followed by Seiya who was on his way to the kitchen to commence on making his breakfast.

"That's the third blonde this week," Yaten noticed, "What're you trying to do, sleep your way to her?"

As Seiya loaded the ground coffee into the maker, he let Yaten's comment run its course through his conscience. He was right: that was the third blonde in a row and he was one to usually not discriminate. He knew him and Taiki were not stupid and could tell what he was doing.

The silver-haired boy chuckled as he did not hear a witty comment back from Seiya. "I'm surprised you didn't try anything this weekend. She was helpless and vulnerable: your favorite kind."

"It's funny that when I actually respect a girl, you make fun of me for it."

"It's not like I'm making fun of you… just giving you a hard time," Yaten stated, "It's just fun to see you so tortured."

Tortured? Was he really that pathetic? Resorting to sleeping with other girls that only resembled the one who he truly wanted was pretty petty in itself. Maybe he had to stop being so reactive and start being proactive. If Usagi was not going to come to him easily, he might as well take the initiative. He wanted to stop his immoral ways and stop running away from the pain. The next blonde that he planned on sleeping with would be Usagi.


	8. The Present

**Well here y'all go, the next installment :) Again I'm sorry for the update delay. This semester has seriously been painfully stressful. I hope everyone can forgive me and enjoy and I love you all!**

_**If I just think of you  
My heart has the meaning to live**_

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon. Ikuko was enjoying it while it lasted. She declared to herself that Sunday was her official day of rest from household duties and childrearing. She sat in a fluffy chair sipping on some herbal tea and watching a chick flick on one of her favorite female-geared channels when the doorbell rang. Thank God it was a commercial break.

Ikuko opened the door to a smiling young boy with the shiniest black hair and blue eyes she had ever seen. Though she initially recognized him as Mamoru at a glance—since it had been a while since her daughter brought him over—that thought was immediately cast away as she realized this boy was younger and different but yet so familiar… he was such a cutie.

"Can I help you?" Ikuko asked as she fixed her hair a bit to not look like such a Sunday afternoon hot mess.

"I'm here to see your younger sister, Usagi…" oh he was so charming.

And it worked. Ikuko giggled as she let herself blush in the slightest. "Oh really, well please come in." She opened the door more as she backed up with it to let the cute stranger in. Inwardly, she was excited that Usagi was finally having a boy over. Ikuko was quite the guy-magnet and was having boys sneak into her house starting at the rightful age of fifteen and she somewhat expected the same from her daughter. She had even prepared herself for the talk whenever she would find a boy hiding in her blonde daughter's closet when her and her husband would come back from that out-of-town trip earlier than expected. But of course, leave it to Usagi to do the opposite and that moment never came. Ikuko guessed that is what happens when one is a daddy's girl and goes for years hearing that any other man other than him is basically evil and sex-crazed.

Then again, she loved her daughter no matter what and was thankful that the boy Usagi would have over entered announced through the door rather than secretly through the window. And for her first one, he was not bad!

Ikuko closed the front door. "Please sit down. Would you like anything to drink?"

The boy finished taking off his shoes before answering, "No thanks. I'm fine."

The purple-haired maternal figure could not help but stare at him. She felt she had seen him before somewhere… sometime…

"I'm sorry, you might get this a lot, but you look very familiar…"

He lightly chuckled. "Have you read the news in the last month?"

Ikuko lifted her eyebrow; surely he was not in the news for armed robbery or else she was going to put her good knife to good use. "Sure…"

He extended his hand. "I'm Seiya Kou."

Aha! That was where he was from! He was an idol—even better! The older woman got all gushy-eyed and star struck. "Oh, yes! Yes you are, you are Seiya Kou." She took his hand gently and shook it. "It's so nice to meet you! Would you like anything to drink?"

"No thanks," Seiya said, chuckling again.

"Well you just make yourself at home and I'll go get Usagi for you…" Ikuko smiled and backed her way toward the stairs, tripping on a rug but luckily she caught herself on the banister. After a nervous smile, she then ran up the stairway to retrieve her daughter.

Once she made it to a closed pink door, a light rapping echoed throughout the upstairs. Who knows what Usagi could be doing in there; if she was still in the same state as she was in the last week, it would be sleeping or rotting in front of the TV. Luckily it was the latter and Ikuko was thankful she did not have to resort to her usual screaming in order for Usagi to merely stir from slumber.

Usagi opened her door. "Yes, momma?"

"You have a guest, my dear," Ikuko smiled.

"Really? Who?" The odango-head took a step and craned her neck to look over the railing to see who her guest was in case they were still in the foyer.

"Oh he's in the living room," Ikuko explained as she licked her thumb and started wiping under Usagi's eye.

"Wha-… who-… stop, momma!" The blonde protested at her mom's attempt to clean her face. "Did you say 'he'? Is it Mamoru?" She became excited for a second.

"No, it's Seiya," The purple-haired woman almost squealed.

Usagi raised a brow. "Seiya is here to see ME?"

"No I won a date with him-YES he's here to see you," Ikuko moved onto smoothing out her daughter's hair.

"Wow…" the blonde was truly taken aback by the news, yet she felt eager to see him. It was quite a pleasant surprise. "Then can you take Lala out for me?" She started to walk past her mother to attend to Seiya until a firm grip on her arm halted her progress.

"You're not going down there looking like that, are you?" Ikuko questioned looking almost startled and scared. It was not that she thought her daughter looked ugly; every mom thought that their daughter looked good—natural or made-up. There was just a technique to appearance when it came to presenting yourself to a man and it took a bit of war paint and dress.

Usagi shifted her eyes in silence for a moment until she was staring back into her mother's auburn hues. "Uh… no…?"

Ikuko sighed, "C'mon, honey," before dragging her quizzical offspring back into her room.

* * *

He glanced at his watch for the third time; he had been waiting on Usagi's couch for ten minutes all by himself. The TV was on and Seiya was finding himself getting into the chick flick Ikuko initially was watching. But just when he thought he would be left hanging for another five minutes, he heard light footsteps padding down the stairs. Another few seconds passed before Usagi appeared in the living room.

Seiya's heart practically jumped into his throat and he wished he did not have to blink.

She stood there smiling nervously as her lips lightly glimmered. Her blue eyes were nicely outlined with mascara and a bit of eyeliner with nicely-applied eye shadow. Her usual long pigtails were gone, but a few curly tendrils were left to hang from her odangos; ribbons encircled them and were neatly tied into a bow in the back. Her dress came up short and her neckline low, but they still gave way for imagination. Never had Seiya seen Usagi like this and he could not take his eyes away from her.

He was still staring but he could not falter on his cool. "Wow, you're looking all dolled-up with no place to go."

Usagi began to sneer but stopped herself before she made it obvious. Her intention was to charm and intrigue him, not fight with him. The blonde beauty swallowed her anger and cleared her throat. "Oh, I was just cleaning my room." She raised the skirt of her dress a bit, remembering her mother's rule of taunting him by showing a little skin and giving him the impression that she always looked this way no matter what or where.

He swore he almost saw her panties but he could not be looking at that right now. "Well the make-up," Seiya waved his hand in front of his face as a made-up hand sign for the word, keeping his eyes lined with Usagi's. His playful smirk turned into a genuine smile, "It… it looks good."

She blushed and felt a rush of warmth all throughout her body. "Thanks…" Sighing heavily, she raised her chin and threw back her shoulders before sauntering across the room to sit on the sofa cushion beside Seiya. In her head, she was trying to remember her mother's rendition of a "sexy walk" and tried to recreate it. Eh, she figured it was good enough.

"So… to what do I owe this visit?"

Wait, why WAS he here? Seiya had imagined all he came here for down to exactly what he was going to say and now it was all gone from his head. It was a new feeling since he had never been this affected by a girl… ever. Although with a slight movement of his hand, he was reminded of the compact disc that lay in it.

"I came by to give you this," he stated as he handed the object to Usagi.

She looked at the shiny disc confusingly but took it and examined it: it was merely a blank CD with no picture or words written on it. "You made me a mixed CD?"

The raven-haired idol laughed. "Kind of, it's our new single."

Usagi looked at the disc again. "Like, how new?"

"Like: we-just-finished-recording-it-an-hour-ago… new."

She dropped her jaw. "It hasn't come out yet?"

Seiya shook his head. "Nope. You're the first one to have a copy."

Usagi was becoming increasingly thrilled. "When does it come out?"

"Late July. We film the music video and photograph the cover in a couple of weeks in Hawaii."

"What?! You get to go to Hawaii?!" The maternal-taught rules of attraction went out the window completely.

"Well of course, Odango. There are a lot of things you get to do when you're famous… and also when you know someone who is…" Seiya winked.

That one flew right over Usagi's head, though. "This is so cool! Mina and the others are going to be so jealous!" She bounced on the cushion and giggled. "Thanks so much, Seiya! You're awesome!" She almost threw herself on him to embrace him in gratefulness.

But that gesture suddenly changed the mood of the room.

As everything quieted, Seiya returned the hug and was disappointed to see it last so shortly. Usagi backed away from the idol as she looked down into her lap, fidgeting with the CD. Something was on the odango-head's mind as it had been for a while. She had been trying to push it to the back of her thoughts, but her idol friend just kept pushing it right back up to the forefront. She would never know unless she asked… and what was the worse that could happen? She felt she was well-trained for the worst in life already.

"Is everything okay?" Seiya questioned as he noticed some tension building in the air.

She looked back up into his eyes and nodded. "Yeah… it's just that I'm… confused…"

"About what?" the boy placed his elbows on his knees and leaned on them.

"Well, why me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why… ME? Y'know, we crash into each other one day and then the next you're giving me new cell phones, dogs and unreleased material of your music. I mean I'm very thankful and it's a very nice thing to do… I just… want to know why…"

Seiya smirked and whispered, "Why must you concern yourself with such silly things, Odango?"

She scoffed and buried her face in one hand as she shook her head. "Nevermind… Forget about it." She figured she was not going to get a straight answer from him; him and his stupid mysteriousness and stupid smile.

"If you must know the reason behind the gift today, you're birthday being pretty close—three days close, actually—could be a driving force." It was a good excuse to not make him sound like he was desperate for her attention.

Usagi widened her eyes and looked through her fingers. "How do you know when my birthday is?"

"Ms. Shiido's birthday chart…"

Oh right, that thing. Ms. Shiido insisted on recording all her students' birthdays and giving them gifts on their birth date or close to it if it fell on a weekend or holiday; tiny rubber duckies were a favorite of hers this year.

"Well you didn't have to but thanks a lot. It's probably the best gift I've gotten… ever," Usagi giggled.

"You're welcome." The two teenagers experienced a moment of silence before Usagi broke it with a smile and nervous laughter.

"So… um… I meant to ask earlier… but how exactly did you find out where I live?"

Seiya smiled devilishly. "Oh, I have my ways…"

_Cut to flashback of Seiya opening a phone book._

Usagi raised an eyebrow. "Your ways, eh? What are your ways?"

"Again with the silly questions; you really must let me have SOME mystery."

The blonde giggled. "Fine, fine…"

"Are you busy today?" Seiya piped up all of a sudden.

She looked at him with confused eyes and a light blush. "I uh… no, not really, why?"

"Let's go shopping. It's a beautiful day for it."

Usagi busted out laughing. It was ALWAYS a beautiful day for shopping. "Oh God, no thanks, I don't have any money for your type of shopping."

"I have money—lots of it."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes at his haughtiness. "Seiya, I'm not going to let you spend your money on me. I don't want you wasting it."

"That's okay, I'll just make more." The black-headed boy was rationalizing the situation in a very new way for the blonde. She found herself actually laughing.

"Oh no, this can't be happening…" she covered her face with her hands as her shoulders shook in her amusement.

"What's that?"

"I'm actually finding your arrogance cute." She said it as if it were a bad thing.

He smiled. He liked the progress he was making. "Well you're already dressed up so shall we be on our way?"

"Um, well, let me go ask my mom first-"

"You can go, Usagi. Here's your purse. Thank you so much, Seiya!" Ikuko instantly poked her smiling face from the foyer and held out a clutch purse ready for her daughter when she would go on her shopping trip.

* * *

They were riding in a car Usagi never thought she would be caught dead in down a street she never thought she would ever visit. She had always driven past it, but that all it was for her, just passing. Her blue eyes stared curiously at all the shops like a kid in a candy store. She had always heard of these boutiques and brands in magazines and such. Only with a friend like Seiya could she finally be living one of her unfulfilled dreams.

The car came to a stop in front of a department store.

"We're here," the driver stated.

"Thanks, Roger," Seiya responded and then turned to Usagi with a smile. "Ready?"

Usagi just nodded and waited a moment for Roger to come around and open the door for her. She stepped out onto the curb before thanking Seiya's personal assistant and followed the idol into the store. She was immediately put on a sensory overload. The whole store was glowing—as if she stepped into fashion heaven—as the bright lights from above reflected off the shiny tile floor. She could smell a powerful mixture of crèmes, perfumes and leather. She could hear the faint offers for perfume squirts from counter ladies and a few "welcome back, Mr. Kou"s.

"Seiya, how delighted we are to see you again." An older woman approached the idol and was all smiles. Her attired consisted of nothing below 15,000 yen and she took up the French way of greeting as she kissed both of Seiya's cheeks. She must have been the fashion director of the store of some sort.

"I'm glad to be back, Choko," Seiya responded and returned the two-cheeked kiss.

"So what's the occasion for this visit?" Choko gave Usagi a smile—a smile that she might have shown to other girls Seiya had brought here before her.

He smiled and put his arm around Usagi's shoulders, in which she was still in complete awe of the store and all the people in it. "I've brought a good friend with me today. Her name is Usagi…"

Choko nodded and slightly bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Usagi returned the slight bow.

"And it's her birthday in a couple days and I wanted to treat her for such a special occasion," the black-haired singer finished, "Will you help me out?"

"Of course, of course, she is just a doll," Choko started fingering at Usagi's handed-down garment. One would guess it was a vintage piece the blonde donned; thankfully vintage was in style. "I have just the things for you in mind. And you're in luck; we just got in a new shipment."

"Great, give her everything you've got." Seiya squeezed Usagi's shoulder.

* * *

After Choko was done taking everything off the racks, Usagi was left alone in her living room of a dressing stall. She looked almost tirelessly at the amount of clothing that hung on the racks: dresses, jeans, blouses and even casual t-shirts lined the walls of the room. Though one garment—that was an evening cocktail dress—caught the odango-head's eye and she decided to try that one on first.

She stepped out of her respective dressing room to approach the three-sided mirror at the end of the hall. While Usagi was gawking at herself in the 40,000 yen cocktail dress, her concentration was interrupted by two other women using the three-sided mirror beside her.

"Oh, this looks great!" said the girl admiring herself in the mirror.

"It does. That color is perfect on you," said the girl's friend.

Usagi looked over and noticed the girl was trying on the same dress as she.

"Well, do you think I could go a size smaller? I'm feeling like the waist is saggy…" the girl in front of the mirror was able to grab a piece of extra material that hung at the waist.

"It does look a bit saggy… What size is it?"

"A two; I think I need a zero."

"Are you losing more weight?"

"I have to. I have that show in Phuket in a couple of weeks and the designer likes his models to be thin."

The friend sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'll go get another size for you." She ran down the hall out of the dressing stall to attain a sales person. Only a few seconds passed before she came bounding back to the girl at the mirror, with a look of shock and horror.

"You won't believe who I just saw out there. I saw Seiya!"

Suddenly the girl at the mirror looked shocked as well. "Seiya? As in Seiya Kou?"

The friend nodded vigorously.

"What is he doing here? Is he alone?" the girl started fixing her hair automatically.

"From what I can tell he is. Oh my God, I can't believe he's here. Are you going to go out there?"

"Hell yes, why wouldn't I?"

"Because he dumped YOU…"

The girl scoffed. "Why does that even matter? It's been a couple of months. He needs to see what he's been missing." She rubbed her finger under her eyes to clear the mascara flakes and smeared eyeliner before dusting herself off. "Come with me," she demanded and dragged her friend by the wrist out the hallway before she could respond.

Usagi watched the two girls bound off to Seiya through the reflection in the mirror. After they disappeared around the corner, she sighed heavily and took a long look at her body. Choko sized her up and Usagi noticed she picked a size two dress. Usagi has always been told that a size two was small. But now she did not think that so much anymore…

Now that she was not pursuing Mamoru any longer, she took Seiya's advice and started looking at other boys; she started looking at Seiya. He was being overtly giving the past week and she could not forget that. Even though she caught herself falling for him in the beginning, she told herself that she would only get hurt in the end. But now… now she was not thinking that thought so much anymore ever since her encounter with the pop star in the rain. Now she considered pursuing him.

But what was she thinking? What did she expect? She kept on forgetting: he was famous, he was rich and he is used to the best of the best. He has dated models and other famous and rich people. How could she compare to them?

Usagi fingered at the waistline of her dress; it was sort of tight. More like, she could stand to fit in a size four now. From the looks of her eavesdropping on the two girls earlier, Seiya liked them thin.

Maybe she should start laying off the ice cream.

* * *

She sat on her bed in her pajamas staring at her spoils of the day that sat in the middle of her room. Usagi truly felt badly for letting Seiya spend so much; she could not fathom how much all those clothes in those bags were worth. But he was able to whip out his fantastic plastic without even batting an eyelash so if he was not worried, Usagi should not be either. He was just being a gentleman, a nice guy. Why would she be questioning him after he gave her everything she wanted?

But at the same time, she felt she was now in more of a vulnerable position; now that he has bought her thousands of dollars worth of gifts, Usagi felt like she owed him, that he owned her in some way. Of course this was just her thoughts running off on a tangent, but still. Seiya had not tried anything on her nor treats her in the same manner as he does all the other girls who he sleeps with. From hearing the conversation of the girl and her friend in the dressing room, he dumped her after a few weeks because he was tired of her and it was time to move onto the next one. Usagi and Seiya had been carrying on their relationship for a few months. Maybe she was special…?

The blonde chuckled to herself. Now her thoughts were really running out in left field. She turned her head to face her desk when the glimmer of the CD Seiya gave her earlier caught her eye. Usagi did not want to waste any time in hearing such an unheard, fresh single and popped it in her computer to give it a listen.

The beginning was made up of slow drum beats and the light strums of an acoustic guitar and after only a few seconds, the melody of lone a male voice. It was soft and had an emotion of uncertainty to it; the lyrics mirrored it perfectly. The voice was telling her of a story of a boy plagued by his unrequited love for a girl, whom could not have cared less nor been too oblivious to his feelings. This boy understood, as he did not know of love or how to love at that. Once the chorus played, the voice crescendos into a high pitch filled with desperation of all the ways he wants to show his love for her.

She lay in her bed and listened to the song a few more times. The voice was soothing and told the story with full sentiment and she could not help but smile. Her heartbeat increased and butterflies flew freely in her stomach as she felt the emotions pour out of the song. In a way, she felt like the voice was singing to her. She had never heard a Three Lights song before and could not tell who the boy behind voice was. But she had a guess… Usagi reached for her phone on her nightstand.

"**The song is beautiful. Is that u singing?"**

"**Thank u and yes"**

"**:) you have a nice voice. I never knew u could sing so well"**

"**well I am in a band lol"**

"**haha duh. Did u write it too?"**

"**Yes… I wrote it for u"**

She shot up in her bed staring straight at the text and kept rereading it to make sure she did not miss on something like a "j/k". But there was not one… Her breathing quickened and she let herself blush to the fullest since she was in the comfort of her own room. He really just wrote that… What should she write back? Trying to imagine what Minako or her mother would tell her to do, she knew that their answer would immediately be: play hard to get.

"**:) I like it even better now. C u tom at school!"**

Even Usagi felt that one.

* * *

Wednesday night came and it was finally Usagi's birthday. As she and her friends had always done for the past five years, Usagi had her close friends over for a sleepover, even if it was a school night. They usually celebrated with gift-giving, a greasy pizza and a gallon of ice cream.

"So, you want our usual extra large pepperoni pizza with cheese-stuffed crust?" Makoto asked Usagi as she starting dialing the pizza joint's number on her cell phone.

"Um, well you guys can have that one, but I think I'll order my own," the odango-head responded.

"Extra hungry tonight are we?" Minako joked as she playfully patted Usagi's stomach.

She nervously laughed and covered her stomach to keep her blonde friend from touching it. "Um, no… I just want a small cheese pizza… on, uh… thin crust."

It was as if the world had stopped turning and time had stopped altogether. Ami, Minako and Makoto looked at their friend as if she had just said she was a super heroine whom secretly defended love and justice in the name of the moon.

"Usagi, are you sick?" the blue-haired genius inquired.

"No no, I just… figured I should… start eating healthy. Y'know, my pants are starting to fit a bit tighter than usual." Usagi was finding it hard explaining herself without mentioning the fact that she was doing it to nab Seiya because his ex-girlfriends were unintentionally giving her a body complex because they were all models with perfect bodies.

"Oh okay." The three girls shrugged and accepted the answer without question.

* * *

It was barely 10:30 PM and the party was barely getting started. A few people had showed up here and there but it was far from what it will be in a couple of hours. Though, Seiya was not that excited about it. Taiki sprang it on him only a few hours beforehand that he was throwing a shindig in light of them finishing such a strenuous recording. Seiya knew that he was a bit tough on his band mates; the song mattered so much to him that he demanded perfection up until the last note hit and thus they spent countless hours during the weekend to satisfy the band leader. He might as well let them have their glory and party.

The raven-haired idol was usually not one to decline partying but he was just bored now. He was bored of the people he had to impress and bored of all the boringness. He sighed, wishing he had a way out.

But then, a light bulb flicked on over his head.

* * *

Usagi was curled up with a pillow on her living room floor as she listened to her friends gossiping over everything and nothing. She then felt a subtle vibration through the floor and picked up her phone to check for a text.

"**What are you doing?"**

It was from Seiya. She chuckled and proceeded to answer.

"**u know, pillow fighting in our underwear, comparing breasts. the usual" **He knew of Usagi's birthday sleepover and she had to regrettably decline his offer to crash it earlier in the day.

"**haha we're having a party at the apt. U and your friends should come"**

She looked up in thought for a second and smiled. That did not sound like such a bad idea.

"Hey, you guys want to go to a party?" Usagi piped in, interrupting the mindless chitchat at hand.

Her friends looked at her curiously. "What kind of party?" Minako asked.

"Just a house party, I think…"

"Where?" Ami asked the important question.

"The Three Lights' apartment."

"Oh my God, did you even have to ask? Yes we want to go! Let's go! Let's get ready!" Makoto squealed and stood up and tried to drag Ami and Minako up with her. "Finally, I get to go to one of these things!"

"Are we seriously invited?" Minako looked down, wide-eyed at the odango-head.

Usagi smiled and turned her phone around so that the screen faced her blonde counterpart. "Read it for yourself."

She bounced in a circle and clapped her hands. "Oh my God, I love you Usagi!! C'mon, let's get you dressed up for Seiya."

* * *

"**We just got into the cab. We'll b there soon"**

After Seiya read the text he put himself into freak-out mode. First, he had to notify the doorman of the extra guests that would be coming and had to make sure Usagi and her friends would have a good time, thus he had to make sure there was enough alcohol for all of them to go around. He knew the usual party crowd that graced his household was a bit on the heavy side when they drank and it has happened before when the Three Lights have run out of alcohol at a party.

After getting off the phone with the doorman, he rummaged through their liquor cabinet that housed the standard spiced rum, vodka and whiskey. The idol reached for the bottle of vodka to put it aside since it was the traditional alcohol used in most girly drinks. It was half-full; he hoped Usagi and her friends were lightweights. Afterward, he checked for mixers in the refrigerator. Praise Yaten and his obsession with fruity smoothies; there was enough orange and cranberry juice for everyone.

And now he waits.

Twenty minutes passed by and he already was tricked twice into thinking that Usagi and her friends were walking through the door whenever it was more of the Lights' boring party guests. He sipped on a glass of Rumple Minze in order to satisfy his sweet tooth and get rid of the stuff. Yaten had bought it over a month ago just wanting to try it out and it sat in their freezer with only a shot of it taken; too sweet by every means.

He was already halfway done with his drink when the door opened a third time and they had finally arrived. All four of them looked lost and completely out of their element, although Yaten and Taiki were quick to come up and greet them before Seiya made his move.

"Oi, Odango, you made it."

She giggled. "Yeah, thanks for the invite."

"So I take it the slumber party got a little boring?" Seiya joked as he took another gulp of the peppermint liqueur.

"Eh, well…" Usagi blushed, "we just thought a change of scenery would liven things up a bit."

Seiya chuckled. "You just couldn't stand not seeing my face any longer. It's okay, you can tell me." He then flashed that smile of his.

The blonde beauty laughed and pushed him playfully. "Coincidentally, this is also where all the alcohol is."

"Come, I'll make you a drink." He grabbed her hand and led her toward the kitchen where the vodka and mixers were. Usagi felt a rush of warmth all throughout her body from his touch—his fingers were intertwined with hers and everything. Now she definitely needed a drink to calm her nerves.

* * *

The hour flew by as if it never happened. By this point, everyone was past the point of just being tipsy and buzzed and had progressed into the first level of drunkenness. The Lights and girls had scattered among the apartment making conversation and playing the usual drinking games. After a drawn-out play of king's cup, Seiya and Usagi found themselves on the couch together. Usagi was already working on her fourth screwdriver and Seiya was finishing up his second glass of Rumple. Had it been any other liqueur, the musician would still be fit to drive legally. But the 100 proof rating was really kicking his ass. He was at the point of idealistic bravery…

"Oi, Seiya, what is that you're drinking? You've been drinking it all night." Usagi asked, her speech a bit slurred. Seiya's premonition was right: she was very lightweight.

She asked him as he was taking another sip. "It's called Rumple."

"Rumple? What does it taste like?"

"Peppermint… A very strong one at that."

"Ooh, I love peppermint." The blonde was getting all excited. "Can I try it?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You really want to try it?"

She nodded her head vigorously and eagerly.

Seiya looked down into his glass—there was literally only a shot of it left. He was tempted to give the rest to her, to be the nice guy and let her try his drink. But he had other plans…

In one gulp, the peppermint liqueur was gone down his throat. Usagi's eyes widened in anger and confusion.

"That wasn't very ni-"

And then she suddenly could not speak anymore. For Seiya quickly planted his lips onto hers in a searing kiss. Usagi could taste the peppermint flavor on his lips and then later on his tongue. She opened her eyes for a moment from the shock of the unexpected kiss, but it did not take her long to melt into it. Her head was spinning a hundred miles a minute. She tried to remember how people made out in the movies but it then came naturally… and she also let Seiya take the lead. One of his hands slid around her waist as he put another one at the back of her head, taking handfuls of her blonde hair. His kiss was sweet and gentle and his tongue felt soft against hers. This felt better than it ever did in their dreams.

After a few more minutes of it, Seiya broke the kiss and smiled. "So what do you think?"

She was still in shock of the short make-out session and not quite all the way back on Earth. "Huh?"

"The Rumple… did it taste good?"

"Oh…" she chuckled, "Yeah…"

He looked into her glazed blue eyes for a moment before looking around the room. He spotted Minako sitting in Yaten's lap at their dinner table locked in a game of circle of death and Taiki and Ami talking literature in a corner of the room. It was safe to say that he and Usagi will not be missed.

"Come with me." The raven-haired boy took Usagi by the hand again and led her away to his bedroom.


	9. The Incident

_**I expect nothing special from you  
Can I stay loving you forever  
Just like this?**_

The alarm clocked blared throughout the dark room, but the four sleeping bodies did not even stir; except for a hand trying to slam the alarm quiet. Three times it missed the clock completely before finally hitting the snooze button. Now that the annoying sound was finally silenced, all four girls were wordlessly relieved and slumbered back to dreamland.

But five minutes came faster than they wanted. Almost instantly after they closed their eyes again, the alarm clock started beeping once more. The same hand from before tried again to silence the noise, but this time the appendage was clumsier and actually knocked the device off the nightstand completely. An angry blonde poked her head from the depths of the bed sheets to look for the clock before she discovered it still sounding on her floor. She went to grab for it, but her hangover unfortunately left her imbalanced.

With a yelp, Usagi fell face-first onto her carpet as her body smacked flat on her back afterward. She groaned miserably as her headache grew tenfold.

"God, will you turn that thing off?!" yelled Minako from the other side of the bed. Her blonde head looked similar to a bird's nest and her bow—that she left clipped in her hair—now rested on one side of her head. She still had on last night's clothes and make-up as did everyone else.

The odango-head moaned again and finally opened her eyes to locate the blaring alarm. She hit the snooze button as she was told.

"Oh God… my head…" Makoto moaned from her place in the middle of the floor inside her sleeping bag. She rolled over on her back while having her hand placed on her forehead to reveal deep wrinkled pillow marks lined all over her right cheek.

"I can't open my eyes…" yawned the blue-haired genius as she too was laid in the middle of the floor inside a sleeping bag. "How did we get home?"

"Some bodyguard drove us back," Minako answered while she sat up and tried to rub her eyes awake. "I don't know how I know that."

"You guys, I think my head's gonna explode," Usagi muttered from her place on the floor.

Minako leaned over the bed to stare at her pained friend. "I'm sure it won't be the first explosion since last night." She found it in her to perversely grin from ear to ear with that statement. Loud giggles from Ami and Makoto echoed throughout the room.

Usagi blushed all over her body. "I don't… know what you're talking about…"

"'I don't know what you're talking about,' blah! Oh c'mon, you didn't come out of his room for two hours!" Minako mimicked her golden-haired counterpart in a high-pitched girly voice before calling her out. With almost a cackle, the blonde on the bed threw her pillow at Usagi, nailing her on the head. The odango-head laughed and covered her face in embarrassment and in defense.

"So were you just bad or very naughty?" Makoto crawled out of her cocoon of a bed and winked at Usagi.

"Guys, I-" before the blonde beauty could answer, the door opened swiftly to reveal Ikuko.

All of the girls fell silent and froze in their positions. They just remembered they still were wearing last night's clothes.

"Morning, ladies," Ikuko was all smiles. "Have fun last night?"

The four of them all gulped loudly and looked to one another, silently pleading for someone else to answer first. Initially, Usagi told her parents that they were going away to see a movie and would surely be back when they were sleeping. Though, they did not know how loud they really were when they tried to sneak back into the house at 4:00 AM.

"Uh, of course, these slumber parties are always so much fun… Thank you so much for letting all of us stay over." Ami sat up and nervously smiled. She was always the one that was most liked by her friends' parents; that sweet, studious vibe of hers was a good cover-up.

"Great. At least you ladies know better than to drink and drive."

The girls' faces then dropped in mortification and no one even dared to breathe.

But the mother just winked. "Breakfast is almost ready."

* * *

"Oh my God, Usagi, how did you land such a cool mom? If we were at my house, we would have surely been dead." Minako was in a state of serious confusion and curiosity.

"You don't think she'll tell your moms, do you?" Makoto looked to Ami and Minako while chomping down on her English muffin. It took a while for the girls to get ready and they ended up having to eat their breakfasts on the go.

"Nah, if anything she's proud of me. I'm finally starting to be like her." Usagi answered.

"Did your mom hook up with musicians, too?" Ami asked.

Her face turned red and she nervously laughed. Usagi had to face the music; she knew her coming out of Seiya's room did not go unnoticed. And her friends were not going to leave her alone until she spilled every single detail.

"I… I don't know…"

"So what'd you do, huh?" Minako started elbowing the odango-head. "Two hours is an awfully long and fun time."

"Can I just say that I'm still a virgin? We didn't have sex, Mina… we just…" Usagi blushed just remembering the night before. She was finding it difficult to open up to her closest friends since she had never done anything at this level.

"You just…?" Makoto tried to help her out finishing her sentence.

"We… did everything else."

Ami, Minako and Makoto giggled and bounced around as they walked.

"I can't believe you hooked up with Seiya!" Minako squealed.

"Will you stop saying we hooked up? We didn't sleep together," Usagi argued.

"…yet…" the blonde with the red bow in her hair shifted her eyes suspiciously.

"Jesus Christ, you guys…" Usagi growled in exasperation before her face fell as she thought about her reality of the situation. "It's not like we're together."

"…yet…" Makoto and the other two could not take the situation seriously as they chuckled at the brunette's response.

The odango-head gave up. It was no use.

They were only a block away at that very spot where Usagi had first run into Seiya on that fateful day. Their time perception was soon put into question as the bell from their nearby high school chimed loudly throughout the district.

"What? It's already 8:30?" Ami was on the verge of a meltdown.

Minako looked at her watch. "My watch says it's only 8:25."

"Apparently it's five minutes slow. C'mon!" Makoto shoved the rest of her English muffin in her mouth and took off in a sprint toward the school. The rest of the group followed shortly after.

It had taken a while during the morning for Ms. Shiido to quiet the students down and was delayed in getting started in her studies. But her blind date the last night turned in her favor and she was not as snappy as usual. Though, she was put on setback even more by the hasty entrance of four out-of-breath girls running through the door. Each girl did not say a word as their heaving took up all their sound-making. They eagerly awaited the response of their teacher and fearfully dreaded the consequences.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood today. Hurry up and sit down."

They did not think twice about pushing their luck and questioning her in the slightest. They placed their bento lunches in their cubbies and walked over to their respective desks.

Usagi's eyes caught the gaze of Seiya's as she strode over to her seat. And sure enough, he was just as cool and calm as ever; as if last night was just another item to check off the to-do list. He was sitting with a slouch, idly playing with his pencil, before he decided to straighten himself up. All the while, he was staring at the blonde with a sensuous smirk—his eyes doing all the talking and undressing. She could not help but feel a hotness encumber her body and she sweetly smiled back at him. Though, her nervousness quickly made her avoid his intense watch. She did not want to overheat in the middle of the classroom.

Ms. Shiido began her daily lecture and Usagi situated herself in her desk, feeling those deep blue eyes staring from behind her.

* * *

By the time the third period teacher was to switch with the fourth, Usagi thought it would be a good time as any to take a restroom break during the five-minute interval. She was out the door and down the hall as fast as she could be in order to not be late for the next period. God knows she did not need or want another Saturday detention.

After she was done with business, she treaded just as swiftly back to class. Taking a sharp turn at a corner, she bumped into a human wall and then took a few steps back to catch her balance.

"Ow! Excuse me. I'm so sorry-" after taking a look at who she ran into, she stopped her self in mid-sentence.

"Odango, you should be more careful." His words flowed out smoother than silk.

"Oh, hey," the odango-head smiled at the sight of Seiya, "Sorry about that. It's been a long morning."

"That's a shame. Too bad last night wasn't very long."

Usagi gulped loudly at his bluntness, as if she had to dry-swallow a huge pill. She did not know whether to feel unsettled or excited that he did not follow that statement with a playful wink or any other sort of indication that he was playing with her. She realized at this moment that they were not kidding around anymore. Things had officially transitioned to the next level.

"Well it was a school night." She shrugged.

Seiya's looked around the empty hallway before stepping closer to the blonde to whisper in her ear. "Since we made it to school and that's outta the way, shall we continue then?" He started to softly kiss her neck.

The touch of his lips to her skin made her whole body shiver. Choking on her breath, she stood there for a moment just relishing in the idol's kisses. Her eyes slowly closed as she let her mind float into a sweet reverie. The importance of returning to the next period on time was completely out of her mind and all that mattered was this moment of such erotic sensuality. She suddenly started to feel bodily reactions that were so foreign to her before last night such as a tightening sensation between her legs. Her regular breathing turned heavy and she grabbed handfuls of Seiya's uniform on his arms to contain herself. She buried her face into his shoulder to stifle her soft moans from the feeling of Seiya's tongue along her skin as he gently sucked bits of her neck between his lips.

After what felt like forever, Usagi opened her eyes momentarily only to realize that they were still in the hallway.

"Seiya… we need to go back…" she stated in between heavy breaths.

"Where?" He did not pause in his affections and started to focus on softly kissing the blonde's ear.

"To class…" Still being lost in the moment, Usagi did not know why she even said anything. She did not want to end this.

"Why?"

"We just… do… We'll get a detention… if they catch us out here." She was not very convincing even to herself.

"Well then let's go somewhere else." His whispering sent tingles down her spine as it held something mischievous to it. He immediately took her hand, leading the blonde-haired girl down the hall. Usagi fully complied and did not think to question where Seiya was taking her, what he wanted to do or the punishment for skipping class. Her head was telling her to follow and so was her heart.

He led her to a familiar place of the ladies restroom and walked right through the door without any inhibitions concerning if there were still any girls inside. Still, Usagi remained compliant and silent. Following their entrance, Seiya locked the door and turned his attention back on flustered blonde and the situation at hand. Another lustful and coveting look led them to resume in their foreplay. The idol captured Usagi's lips with aggressive excitement and his hands found their way playing with the trim of her shirt. The blonde returned the kiss with eagerness, holding nothing back. Her conscientious thoughts of worriment about what they were doing were cast aside and all she could really think about were the possibilities of what this make-out session would lead to.

She felt the slight touch of Seiya's fingers tickle her stomach before he started to rub her waist with warm palms inside of her shirt; his thumbs and fingertips giving her a light massage all around her torso. Soon, he was playing with the hook of her bra. A new wave of arousal pumped throughout Usagi's veins and she was having trouble breathing and even standing. Yes… yes… keep going…

But no, that was not the next thing on the list. Seiya's fingers left her bra alone and caressed her back before freeing them from under her shirt, leaving the blonde confused and almost disappointed—yet wanting more. For a few moments, Seiya's hands ventured all around her thighs and hips. But even his partner could tell that the borderline that was her skirt between her skin and his hands was unsatisfying. She pushed herself against him, lightly grinding her hips against his and moaning at the feeling of his hardness. Without breaking the kiss, the dark-haired musician grabbed her waist tightly to pick her up and set her on the edge of a sink. Now that she was at his height, the odango-head was able to wrap her arms around his neck and Seiya could move along on their pleasurable ride a whole lot easier.

Usagi could feel his hand starting to stroke her knee. Slowly, it moved its way up her leg as it pushed the trim of her skirt to reveal her upper thighs—that now familiar tightness between her legs returning from his touch. His long fingers calmly ventured near her pleasure zone and the odango-head was having a difficult time trying to control her emotions more than ever. She broke the kiss to take in deep breaths in order to keep her anticipation in control. He was getting closer and closer and she could feel herself getting more impatient and hotter. She wanted it now, she wanted him now… She was getting desperate for him to touch her, feeling on the verge of explosion if he took a second longer. And now she could sense his fingertips tracing her panty line. He was so close… Biting her lip and exposing her neck for Seiya to plant it with hickies, she threw her head back and cried out as she felt his thumb rub over her-

* * *

"Odango?"

She slowly blinked her blue eyes awake as reality slowly and painfully sunk in. What… was going on…?

"Odango?" Seiya stood over the slumbering blonde and gently shook her awake. "Wake up. It's lunchtime."

Usagi raised her head from her folded arms only to look around the classroom in confusion and denial. It was all a dream?

"Huh…?" She was still half asleep.

The black-haired idol rubbed her shoulder while smiling. "It's time to eat lunch. You've been asleep since third period. Have a good nap?"

She blushed at his inquiry and wiped the corners of her eyes of dried sleep. Oh dear God, how could she have let herself fall asleep during school? Usagi waited for the sensations left over from the dream to dissipate to feel more composed to carry on a conversation. Hopefully she was quiet during her long nap.

"Yeah," she laughed quietly and looked up at Seiya, "four hours was not enough last night."

"You'll get used to it." The idol winked. He bent over on the blonde's desk to lean on his elbows. "What were you dreaming about?"

"Uh…" she turned away from his stare as she felt a hot nervousness all over her body. Think fast, think fast! "What makes you think I was dreaming?"

"You kept on shifting in your chair and moaning every now and then," Seiya then leaned in closer to Usagi, leaving only an inch of space between their faces. "I couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going through that head of yours." His voice dropped to a deep rasp and his eyes told her that he had a pretty good idea of the substance of her dream.

She started instinctively coughing to delay a response. But her blush and body language gave her away completely. "I don't really remember what it was about…"

Seiya just laughed and decided to drop the subject. Just seeing her flustered was enough entertainment for him.

"Never mind…" he gingerly grabbed her chin and gave her an ever-so-light kiss on the mouth. He let his lips linger over hers for a few seconds and was tempted to keep it going. Instead, he opened his eyes to view Usagi's closed ones and smiled. He felt his stomach protest the decision to continue in the kiss.

"Let's eat."

* * *

Lunch somehow went off without a hitch and Usagi felt like her friends were on their best behavior. Granted, the friendship between Seiya and Usagi was not the only change from the night before—Minako all of a sudden was spoon-feeding Yaten her lunch entrée and Ami and Taiki's chairs did not have a centimeter of space between them. But it was still Seiya and Usagi's situation that was the focus of everyone else's attention. After the two teenagers' public display of affection during last night's party and lunchtime, gossip spread throughout the school like wildfire and the odango-head was soon feeling the stares and hearing the whispers from her fellow schoolmates. She thought it best to try to ignore it.

Once the end of school approached, Usagi made her usual journey to her shoe locker before heading to her anime and manga club meeting. But she was soon paid a sweet visit by Seiya.

"Hey Odango, are you busy tonight?" he came bounding up to her holding his packed sports bag and cleats by their shoelaces.

"No, what's up?" She closed her locker door and gave the idol all her attention, standing with her back against the metal cabinets.

"We've just heard word that we're expected to show up to at this new nightclub tonight. I want you to come with us."

"Really? Are you promoting your new single or something?"

"No we're actually promoting the club."

"Oh, okay…" She was a bit confused. "So… do you know if it's gonna be fun or not?" By this time, the locker room was almost empty.

Seiya shrugged. "Well for 5,000,000 yen we can definitely make it fun."

It took Usagi's brain a few seconds to register what he said before her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "You're getting PAID to just go?"

"Sometimes a status is all you need to make money." The idol winked. "So are you coming?"

She made herself come down from the shock of hearing that Seiya was getting paid by just merely showing up somewhere. She shrugged. "Well, uh, how much is the cover?"

The only response the musician could muster at the question was a snicker. "You're gonna be with me, Odango. You don't have to pay a thing."

"Hah…" she looked down and giggled. "Believe it or not, it takes some getting used to."

"It's something you'll get used to soon, I promise," Seiya joked. "But Taiki and Yaten have already talked to Ami and Minako so you won't be the only girl. I'll pick you up at seven."

"Seven? Why so early?"

"We're also going to dinner at the Imperial Hotel beforehand."

"Wow, the real Imperial Hotel Tokyo?"

"No the fake one."

Usagi sniggered and rolled her eyes. "Hah, hah! You're so funny."

Seiya was about to retort to the blonde's statement until he happened to look over to the end of the locker row and his face suddenly became serious. A confused Usagi followed his gaze only to see Mamoru Chiba standing at the end of the locker row.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything." He said softly. "I just came by to say 'hi.'"

Usagi had mixed emotions about Mamoru's presence. She felt a bit uncomforting and curious as to why he was here. They had not called or seen each other in the last week since his apology and she somewhat found it odd that he suddenly shows up to her locker unannounced.

The idol took a step back from the blonde and cleared his throat. It would only be scratching the surface to say that he was not all too happy about Mamoru's company. He knew the tennis douche was not there just to say 'hi;' if he wanted to do so, he would just shoot her a text. Though, he thought it best to take his leave.

"I should probably get going. I'm late for practice. I'll pick you up tonight at seven." He then ended his goodbye by giving the odango-head a peck on the cheek.

The idol made his departure on the other side of the locker row and Mamoru took the opportunity to approach Usagi closer. "So I guess the rumors are true then."

The golden-haired teenager rubbed her arm and shrugged. "What rumors? What are they saying?"

"That Seiya has a new blonde object of affection: #338."

That was a big, fat pill Usagi did not want to swallow. It was a hard blow to her heart to hear Mamoru say that. Not only was he being mean but he was being truthful in a way. She had to admit that.

"Well, we're not together or anything. We haven't even been on a date."

"From what I just heard, you're going on one tonight." Mamoru raised a dark eyebrow suspiciously.

"And what's wrong with that? We were friends long before this started happening and he's… sweet to me." She knew that was not a good description of Seiya's behavior toward her. But it was the only word that popped in her head at the moment.

The dark-haired tennis pro shook his head. "Do you know how many other girls he's been "sweet" to? At least once a week since he got here I've heard about many girls on the team hooking up with him. It's always the same story: they start hanging out together, he indulges them in gifts and expensive dates, they sleep with him and then he dumps them a week later."

Usagi hanged her head taking in the information silently.

Mamoru continued. "I know that I would be the last person you would listen to but I want you to listen to this at least. I don't want you recklessly putting yourself in danger like that. He doesn't care about you, he's going to hurt you… just ask every other girl he's been with. He can't be trusted."

"But… you don't know him." She started playing on the defensive.

"Don't you see, Usa? He has you right where he wants you. Do you think every single one of those other girls just happened to be that stupid? No! He knows how to play your feelings; he knows what to say to get your guard down." Mamoru took a deep breath. "I don't think you should be hanging out with him anymore."

Usagi stared at him with raging, glossy eyes. "That's a pretty bold statement to be coming from you. I haven't heard from you in a week and you think you can just start controlling my life now?!"

"I don't care." Mamoru went from being the concerned friend to the stern father. "You know as well as everyone else how he is. In fact, you should know BETTER than everyone else. I know I've caused you pain and now I'm trying to protect you from more of it. Just last weekend I saw in the tabloids a picture of him drunk at a party with some woman on his arm, whom he without a doubt fucked afterward. This was just four days ago, Usa! What makes you think you're any different or that he's changed?!"

She sniffled loudly and wiped away some falling tears. "Please, stop…"

He knew he was losing his temper and that his volume was escalating with every sentence. Mamoru sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Usa. I'm not trying to control your life but I don't want to see you hurt again. I'm just worried about you. You haven't been the same since last week and I'm… just so worried. I know you two had been talking beforehand but I didn't think it was anything to worry about. I thought his reputation was enough for you to keep your distance. Now I'm hearing that you're hanging around Seiya as more than a friend and it just put me on edge and I'm not going to just sit there and watch you get hurt."

Usagi remained speechless for a while. What he said made sense and cemented their renewed relationship; Mamoru just showed her that he still cared for her just as much as he did before her revelation. And she still cared for him in her own way. She closed her eyes and let the memories from last night replay in her head, now seeing it in a whole different way. She thought about how many other girls he had pleasured in his king-sized bed, how many other girls he bought gifts for and how many fruity alcoholic drinks he made for other girls at house parties before her. Was she really just another notch on his belt? Statistics would point to: yes, but her heart…

"I know that most of what you say is true… but I… I care about him…"

"Usa," Mamoru put both hands on the blonde's shoulders and he looked her straight into her light cerulean eyes, "I know it's hard, especially since you're so innocent. But some things are just going to be difficult to decide and the best way is not usually the easy way. Please, not for me but for yourself, stay away from him. He's not a good person."

Usagi bit her lip and she squinted her eyes shut as more tears spilled from her eyes. "But I… he… I don't think…"

"But what?" Mamoru gently placed his hand on her face. "He doesn't deserve you. He doesn't deserve to hurt you. You're a much better and smarter person than that, I know it… YOU know it. Promise me that you'll stop hanging around him."

The sniffling blonde stayed silent.

"Promise me, Usa…" Mamoru pleaded.

She did not want to do it. She just knew last night was not just one-night deal; the way he touched her and made her feel. But had Seiya really perfected his game? Was he only buying her these gifts and paying so much attention to her only to sleep with her in the end? She was so torn between both men and she had her doubts about both of them. But Seiya was the one with the reputation. Such a reputation forced her in the beginning to keep watch of her feelings. But what really was the exact turning point that made them closer? Was the idol just moving in for the kill because Usagi was in such a vulnerable state after finding out about Mamoru? Was Usagi so heartbroken that she clung to Seiya because he was just… there?

In the end, she let her mind win.

"Okay… I promise."

* * *

She made the finishing touches on her make-up by applying her mascara diligently and just in time as well. The sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the house.

"Hello, nice to see you again. She's still getting ready so it'll only be a little while."

Usagi could faintly hear the voice of her mother greeting Seiya before she took one last look at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were all puffy and not even the best of make-up could cover it completely. Though she promised Mamoru that she would stay away from Seiya, she just could not muster up the courage to break it off immediately.

She could not muster up the courage to break it off at all.

She thought about just pushing him away—acting distant, ignoring his calls, turning down hang-out offers—instead of coming right out with it. But then she realized she did all that in the first place and it just made Seiya try harder. Somehow she just knew he was different around her than other girls… but just the fact of there being other girls made Usagi question herself over and over and she was back to square one. Her heart and mind were now engaged in an all-out war.

The blonde stood up from her vanity and stood in front of her full-length mirror. She had on a black cocktail dress Seiya had bought her when he took her out for that shopping trip. She remembered gagging at the price but the musician insisted on buying it since he saw her in it. He even casually retorted, "You could get any man you wanted wearing that."

She wanted Seiya… but she did not know anymore if the feeling was mutual. Stupid Mamoru; she would be okay right now and already bounding down the stairs like a little kid on Christmas had he not talked to her. He did not come with a warning or any advice; he came with a full demand of staying away from the idol. He made his case well and it consisted of information Usagi already knew but decided to ignore. Maybe it was a good thing that he reminded her.

The golden-haired beauty sighed deeply and grabbed for her things, making her way downstairs.

* * *

The Three Lights had showed up in a limousine to pick up all three girls that would accompany them to dinner and the club. Minako and Ami were in good spirits and were already enjoying their third glass of the fine champagne the limo had to offer. Usagi tried her best to smile and be merry, but became distracted with a bunch of texts Mamoru kept sending her.

"Are you okay, Odango?"

The odango-head looked up from her task of writing a text. "Yeah, why?"

"Well you're just spending a lot of time on your phone. Do you need to go home or anything? I don't want to force you to come out if you're not up to it…"

She gulped loudly. "I'm okay, I promise. It's nothing."

Seiya nodded slowly and stared at Usagi for a moment before smiling. "You look very beautiful tonight. I'm glad you came out."

She wanted to cry so badly. She wanted to tackle Seiya in a bear hug and kiss him all over. How could Mamoru have said such horrible things? If only he were here to hear the things Seiya said to her, he would definitely have thought twice about telling her to stay away from him. It was not much of what Seiya said, but how he did and the look on his face all the while. Her brain was ready to explode because she was going back and forth so much. She did not want to give away her internal battle and ended up smiling back at the dark-haired boy.

"Thank you. You look very handsome tonight as well."

In one movement, Seiya put his arm around Usagi's shoulders and scooted closer to her. He raised his champagne flute. "To tonight; let's hold nothing back."

She bit her lip and looked sympathetically at Seiya, deciding that she would allow herself to have one more last night of fun with the musician. It was not only a night for her, but for everyone else and she did not want to ruin it with drama. The blonde raised her flute.

"To tonight…"

* * *

They all arrived at the hotel with the paparazzi guarding the door and making sure that the Three Lights and their dates did not get through without getting their photograph taken. Taiki, Yaten and Seiya gave their courtesy waves and courtesy smiles before finally making their way through the front door.

And dinner was looking like it was going off without a hitch. The food was good, the wine was fine and the company could not have been better. Usagi tried her best to keep up with conversation but damn it, Mamoru would just not stop texting her. And it was not like she could just ignore him. She could not let him know she was out with Seiya; she had to pretend she had all the time in the world and that the deed to break it off with the pop star was going to be done. Though her gay friend was stressing her out about the situation even more; having to balance putting on a façade in front of the Three Lights and over the phone with Mamoru left her flustered. She decided to excuse herself to the restroom and left her phone sitting on her chair in her tizzy.

Everyone else at the table was carrying on their own discussion and left Seiya to idly look around the restaurant in boredom. Somehow, in the midst of all the restaurant conversations and music, he heard a faint vibrating sound. He looked down at Usagi's chair to see her phone lighting up, indicating that she just received a new text. Any other day he would have ignored it and respected her privacy, any other day he would probably have not even heard the vibration, but seeing Mamoru's name displayed on the screen pushed his curiosity.

* * *

"Seiya, are you doing well?" The Lights and their dates were back in the limousine on their way to make their appearance at the club. Already at dinner, Seiya had thrown back four glasses of wine and had broken into the scotch cabinet once they were back into the stretch vehicle. It was too much alcohol to be consumed for it to be ignored by Yaten.

The raven-haired band leader finished off his glass of scotch and smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He did not even make a whiskey face as he was ready to drown his sorrows in empty bottles and they somehow muted the intensity of the burn down his throat. Seiya looked over at Yaten with an unconvincing grin.

"Doing great," he responded before pouring himself yet another glass.

Usagi looked over at him with concerned eyes. He was acting different so suddenly; it was like night and day after she returned to the table from the restroom. Even getting into the limousine, Seiya was not so touchy or friendly. He sat far from her, he would answer her like he did Yaten with one to two-word answers and he would not even look her in the eye or in her direction. Something was terribly wrong.

"Seiya?" the blonde placed her hand over his and it might as well have been a hot plate. The idol jumped and whipped his head to look down at their touching hands and then at Usagi. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Once again, he showed that unconvincing and sarcastic grin. "Yup."

Usagi had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

They all made it to the club and it was just as much of a madhouse as it was at the hotel. Photographers, paparazzi and reporters lined the walkway behind the velvet ropes in the hopes to get a first glimpse of the Three Lights making their comeback with the rumors of a new single. The flashes were almost blinding and the noise level reached a new record for the club. Various bouncers circled the group of six in order to ensure a safe entrance.

Once inside, it was another sensory overload. Techno music blared from all corners of the club, different colored lights flashed and moved about on the dance floor and the crowd was enormous. No matter what one did, they were always touching someone. Word got out fast about the Lights' appearance and everyone wanted a glance.

All those drinks forced Seiya to finally break the seal and he left for the restroom after alerting everyone of where he was going.

Minako and Ami were both too excited to just stand around. They each tugged on each of their dates' hand toward the dance floor, indicating they wanted to start off the night with some dancing.

"We're going to go dance. Are you okay by yourself?" Minako questioned her blonde counterpart.

Usagi nodded but thought otherwise. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Seiya should be back soon."

Minako winked and was then off with Yaten to dance.

He stepped out the door fixing his jacket and yet loosening his tie. All that drinking made him hot and it was starting to take effect on his body. His head was spinning and he was once again feeling on top of the world. Seiya felt a little more at ease and told himself it would only be for a few more hours that he would have to entertain Usagi. A few more drinks in his system could make it easier…

The idol began walking back toward the front of the club until he felt a tight grip on his arm. He turned around to be faced with an emaciated young woman with long, straight brown hair.

"Glad the rumors were true," she grinned and winked before taking a sip of her vodka martini.

"Hey Kieta…" he almost forgot about her. He could not even really remember when he actually dated her; a year or so ago?

"I've missed you. You haven't come out in a while." Kieta playfully pouted and tugged on his tie.

Seiya inhaled through his nose. "We've been trying to concentrate on school."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't even know why you bother with school when you already working on a career." She did not really even see the point of getting an education at all which was why she dropped out of high school to pursue the modeling profession. "Anyway how have you been?"

"Good," Seiya answered while looking back toward the front to make sure Usagi was still there. "Listen, I have to get going." He tried to walk away from the situation until Kieta stopped him again with another firm grip on his arm.

"Whoa whoa, why are you leaving so soon? Let's talk. I haven't seen you in a while." She finished her half full martini in one gulp and set it on a tray being held by a passing waiter. She smiled impishly and put her arms around his neck. "Have you missed me at all?"

"Really, Kieta, I have to go." The idol put his hands on her skinny arms to try to pry him self from her hold.

"Oh c'mon, she can wait…" the model leaned in, resting her chin on his shoulder to whisper in his ear. "Remember all the fun times we used to have?"

He groaned and shook his head to try to relieve himself of his drunkenness. Kieta's complicating of his situation only worsened the spinning sensation. "Yeah… sure."

The brunette giggled. "Well since I knew you'd be here, I got you a little surprise so you could have a little more fun like old times." She reached into the cleavage between her pushed-up breasts and pulled out a gram of cocaine.

* * *

She had been waiting for a while—too long, in fact, to be waiting for someone to return from the restroom. After so long, Usagi walked in the direction that Seiya went in order to see if he was possibly stopped by fans while he was on his way back. She lightly pushed her way through the people and tried to stand on her tiptoes to look for that head of wavy black hair.

But it would be the two extra steps she would take that would help her find him. The sea of people was split somehow and gave Usagi a beeline view of Seiya and another woman. She had her long, bony arms around his neck and his hands rested on her elbows. She was grinning and whispering closely in his ear. And it seemed that Seiya was not trying very hard to push her off.

So why was Usagi upset? She told herself that she was going to break off their friendship. So why did she care so much that he was talking intimately with some other girl? She let the tears spill from her eyes. Though she planned to go through with it, she wanted to be reminded of why she should not. She wanted to focus on why she was different than all the other girls and the fact that Seiya really has changed his ways. She inwardly did not want to leave him.

And now she realized maybe Mamoru was right.

Wiping away the remnants of her salty discharge, she made her way over to the bar and sat by herself on a lone stool. At this point, she really did not know if he would come back to her or not.

"What can I get for you?"

Usagi looked over to see a fairly handsome man trying to take her order from behind the bar. She shrugged. "Just water is fine."

He stared at her for a little bit before saying, "Didn't you come in with the Three Lights?"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah… I did."

"What are you doing by yourself?"

"My date is being distracted." Usagi cocked her head to the side to indicate the location of where Seiya was. The bartender looked over to witness the model waving around a baggy of white powder in front of his face.

"You're with Seiya? I'm sorry." Apparently, the whole world knew of his womanizing habits.

She did not know if he was being sarcastic or sincere. She tried her hardest to not care and hold her tears back. "I'm sorry too."

He gazed at her a little bit longer, feeling sympathetic. She seemed like such a nice girl. "Stay here, I'll be back." The bartender smiled and began gathering miscellaneous bottles around the bar and pouring them in a shot glass. He returned to Usagi with the glass filled with a light brown liquid.

She looked into it almost disgustingly. "What is this?"

"It's a buttery nipple. Go ahead, try it. I'll put it on Seiya's tab." He winked.

The golden-haired beauty snorted and sighed. What more did she have to lose? Closing her eyes, she threw back the shot and let it smoothly flow down her throat. A tasty butterscotch flavor encompassed her mouth with a mild sting of alcohol.

"Wow, this is delicious!" she exclaimed.

"Want another one?"

"Uh… yeah, that would be great."

He kept them coming and coming. The sweet flavor of the shot masked the truly high content of the shot and Usagi was feeling better. She forgot about looking over from at Seiya with the other girl and almost ignored the man sitting beside her.

The stranger touched her back. "Excuse me miss, but what's your name?"

Usagi looked over at the touchy man. He was clad in a red suit and his blonde hair was completely slicked back with a thick layer of hair gel. She was feeling extra friendly tonight all thanks to the bartender and she smiled at him.

"Usagi Tsukino. And you?" She extended her hand and the man accepted it to kiss the back of it.

"Katsurou Seki. My, my, you are just gorgeous. Have you ever thought about modeling?"

"Uh…" she laughed to herself just thinking about what he said and even let herself blush. "Kind of but I think I'm too short anyway." Which girl does not dream about being a model at least one point in her life?

"Well I run an agency looking to change that. I would love for you to come by for an interview. Your face is just gorgeous." Katsurou raised his hand and stroked a blonde pigtail hanging from one of her odangos. "And your hair is magnificent. You could really make a lot of money."

"Really?" that red flag she put up from his touch was burned to the ground after the stranger mentioned money. He really perked her interest. "You really think I could be successful?" she had trouble saying the last word of her sentence; her drunkenness always involved slurring.

"Oh yes. Designers are always looking for a new look and I think that you have it." He grinned from ear to ear.

Usagi giggled excitedly. "Wow mister, you're getting me all worked up. I can't believe this is happening."

"Believe it," he smiled, "I actually have a studio right next to this club. If you have time right now, we could take a couple of headshots."

"REALLY?! You already want to sign me?"

"Before anyone else does…"

"Oh okay, well let me go tell my friends." Usagi turned on her barstool and proceeded to engage in the search for her friends. But she was immediately stopped by Katsurou grabbing her arm.

"Don't worry. We won't be gone for long. You'll be back before they even realized you left."

The blonde chuckled. "No it's fine. Just in case they start looking for me sooner, I really should let them know where I am."

"No really… they'll be fine." His tone took an aggressive turn. Even in Usagi's stupor, she had a bad feeling. She bit her lip and looked around.

"Y'know… maybe you should just give me your card and I'll call you later… I don't think tonight is very good for me now that I think about it." She nervously smiled while trying to wriggle her arm from his grasp.

"Sorry, don't have one." He stood up from his barstool and proceeded to drag her toward the club exit. He figured it was loud enough and crowded enough that her screams and flailing would be overlooked.

"Ahh! Stop, let me go!!" Usagi pushed on him to force him away and started defending herself by hitting him with her purse. She even let out a few screams.

The bartender made it a point to keep a close eye on her. He knew greasy predators scoured the clubs such as this to prey on vulnerable young women and figured the Seiya's forgotten date was too pretty to miss. He jumped over the bar to help Usagi. He clocked Katsurou in the jaw which was the initial attack that freed the blonde. The predator growled and came back at the bartender.

The three caused enough of a ruckus to catch the attention and aid of the bouncers to break up the fight. Yaten, Minako, Taiki and Ami took interest in the scuffle and they noticed Usagi's golden odangos in the middle of it. All four ran to her and witnessed her sitting on the floor in tears. Minako and Ami helped her up.

"Usagi! What happened?" Minako stroked Usagi's back.

"Are you hurt in any way?" Ami held on tightly to her friend's hand.

The odango-head wiped away her tears and nodded. "I'm fine. I'm fine," she assured.

Taiki and Yaten looked all around the club and, only after a few seconds, were obviously livid at something. They looked at each other before setting their attention on the girls.

"Where's Seiya?!" Taiki almost demanded with his mauve eyes filled with anger.

And right on cue, the raven-haired boy showed himself from the crowd. He looked to be out of breath and his eyes glossed in worriment.

"What happened?" Seiya asked, looking at everyone.

Everyone answered him with a glare and it was Minako that ended up losing her temper. She stomped to him and harshly pushed him.

"Where the FUCK were you?!"

His mouth opened to answer, but he could not. He was obviously in trouble and he could tell that something happened to Usagi. The pain in his stomach and the responses from everyone told him that it could have easily been prevented had he been with her. He looked over at Usagi whose head was down on Ami's shoulder as the blue-haired girl petted her softly on her blonde head.

"Look at me you asshole, WHERE WERE YOU?!" Minako kept pushing around the black-haired boy.

"Mina, please!" Usagi lifted her head and reached out to her friend to attempt to stop her from physically treating him so harshly. She did not want her to get kicked out.

"No, no, he needs his ass kicked." Yaten said, still staring at Seiya with glaring eyes and pursed lips.

But he still would not listen. Seiya looked over at Usagi, his eyes already telling her he was sorry. He tried to walk to her. "Odango… I'm sorry… I-"

"Don't touch her! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why weren't you with her?!" Minako stood in his way, ready to break his neck for the sake of her best friend.

"Minako," Taiki put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "Not right now. You, Ami and Usagi probably need to go. Roger is waiting outside with the limo. Yaten, Seiya and I will catch a ride later."

The enraged blonde gave one last death glare to Seiya before complying with the giant Light's advice. She took Usagi's other arm and led her outside the club with Ami.

"Wait, lemme go talk to her…" Seiya tried once more to go to Usagi but was again stopped—this time by Yaten.

"You are NOT going to talk to her. You're in so much shit right now _I_ even want to rip your head off. And at a promotional event of all places! I can't believe you! What exactly were you doing?"

He averted his eyes and looked at the floor and shamefully admitted: "I… I was just talking to someone."

"Jesus Christ, you're a dick." Yaten rolled his eyes and walked away from the band leader to resist the urge to punch him in the nose, knowing full well that that someone was a girl.


	10. The Apology

**So some of y'all might notice a bit of déjà vu in this and the last chapter ^_^;; I just did some last minute editing by moving part of a scene from chapter nine to this chapter. I felt the story flowed better this way. Sorry for any confusion. **

**If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry about it ~.^**

**Love you all!**

_**I want to see you, I want to see you  
I want to hear your voice at least  
And I sometimes call you with no special reason**_

With three huge gulps, a whole glass of water disappeared down Seiya's throat along with three huge aspirin pills. He felt the same as if he were run over twice by a semi truck and then the driver stepped out of the vehicle to deck him in the head with a baseball bat. His alcohol intake from the last night was causing his eyelids to fall heavily over his dark blue orbs but he was fighting the urge for the sake of school.

The idol practically dropped his empty glass in the sink when he jumped almost ten feet in the air because of Yaten pushing the front door open and then abruptly slamming it shut. He held a tabloid newspaper in his hand as his lime green eyes shot daggers at his taller friend.

Without saying a word, the silver-haired teenager smacked the paper onto the band leader's chest. Seiya simply looked at his short comrade confusingly. Yaten just stood there mutely with his arms folded, glaring into the depths of the raven-haired boy's soul.

"Read it," Yaten commanded.

Seiya did not have to search for very long to know what he was upset about. It was right on the front page: "Young woman assaulted at a club in Roppongi and how Seiya Kou was involved."

His blue eyes widened, taking up half his face, and his jaw slightly dropped.

"Turn to page six. It gets better," Yaten sarcastically remarked.

"How did they get the story?" Seiya anxiously asked as he began flipping through the paper.

The shorty shrugged. "I don't know: the cops, the owner? Someone who had access to the security cameras sold it for sure. They have everything!" He shook his head violently as his thin, platinum hair flapped around his head and even gritted his teeth. "You're gonna fix it!"

Seiya took his attention from the tabloid and cocked his brow. "What? Why can't we just wait a few weeks and let this die out?"

"What do you mean 'let this die out?!' Whatever you do also reflects on Taiki and me. I'm not gonna let your fuck-ups become our problems anymore. We don't need this kind of publicity especially with our single coming out in the next couple of weeks. If we don't make the sales, our label is going to drop us. And you also need to apologize to Usagi!"

The raven-haired musician soaked in Yaten's argument for a few moments while he closed the newspaper and folded it back up. "I don't think it would matter…"

"What?"

"Apologizing to Odango; I don't think it will matter one way or the other."

"Well, I don't know what's going on between you two, but whatever it is she certainly did not deserve to almost get kidnapped because of it! It was a stupid decision either way and it's your fault for leaving her alone when she damn well shouldn't have been. Don't bring your insecurities more into this and make matters even worse for everyone."

Seiya took a breath and remained silent, knowing that he was in the wrong. But everything was still fresh in his mind and still pained his heart strings. He was suddenly bitter and depressed about the whole incident. Seiya saw an apology as a lost cause and pointless.

"So who was it, hmm? Which slut was so important that you had to leave that poor girl to fend for herself?"

The dark-haired idol closed his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. He was disappointed in himself as much as Yaten and Taiki—he had become something he hated. He really did not want to be reminded of it right now. Yaten always had a tendency to make one feel ten times worse about any bad circumstance.

"Kieta…"

Yaten looked up in thought, trying to mentally file through the long, blurry trail of models, entertainers and wealthy high-school socialites that were Seiya's ex-girlfriends.

"Kieta… Kieta Shiino? The model?"

"Yeah, well," Seiya shrugged and rolled his eyes, "One of them anyway."

"You were with HER?! You realize she is the coke-whore who got us into it in the first place! That woman is poison! What the fuck were you doing with her?! Hell, what the fuck was she even doing at the club?!"

"Calm down, Yaten. Nothing happened. I didn't do anything except drink last night and she started talking to ME. I was an idiot, I admit it!" just talking about it made his blue eyes almost gloss over with salty tears.

The silver-haired boy eyed Seiya suspiciously anyway despite his statement. He saw it too many times before: alcohol for Seiya was a gateway substance for everything else. And he being in a weak and reckless state after they left the restaurant made him more susceptible to any pressure. As for who instigated what, Yaten had to believe him on that. Usagi was a girl that was on a whole different level with the band leader and Kieta was worse than a leech.

Yaten was soon distracted by his cell phone ringing from inside his school jacket.

"Hello?… Yeah?… What the-? Are you kidding me?!… No, no, no, we're not taking that chance; we won't make it out the door if we do that. They can always sniff us out somehow… Yeah I talked to him. Yeah… yeah… okay then." The conversation was over by Yaten pressing the 'end' button.

"That was Taiki. Apparently it's a fucking madhouse at school. We have to take a car this morning," he growled. "I'm feeding you to the wolves if they try to drag me into this whole mess."

Seiya snorted and tucked the newspaper under his arm, planning to read on the way.

* * *

She slowly and sleepily tied her hair up into her traditional hairstyle she donned since she can remember. Her blank stare into the mirror held a quality of emptiness and insecurity while she daintily applied make-up to cover up the dark circles and puffiness under her eyes. Sleep did not come at all to her the last night yet again; Usagi was too busy thinking about what all had happened in the past twenty-four hours.

The blonde finished putting on her face when the four long bruises around her arm caught her interest. That man—whatever his name was—had a vice grip about him; a grip still not painful enough to deaden the hurt caused by Mamoru and Seiya.

She wanted to be done with it. She wanted things to be back to normal again. No more boy-drama… in fact, no more boys at all; no more emotional anguish or sexual tension; no more fighting, no more betrayal. Just… no more… Usagi was finally starting to appreciate her early teenage phase of having only female friends.

But she was still so confused. What had triggered Seiya to become so… insensitive last night? Only an hour before was she was melting into his loving gazes and gentle touches and then an hour later he could not stand the sight of her. Usagi used all her brainpower for the past few hours to try to figure out the musician. She was officially and emotionally drained.

The odango-head felt a light touch on her shoulder and stared in the direction of Minako's face in the vanity mirror.

"Hey… you look better," Minako smiled.

Usagi returned the smile, a very weak smile.

* * *

The three girls that served as the Three Lights' dates silently started on their journey toward school. And all three of them were anticipating what will happen once they make it when they would see Seiya. Minako still had some energy left to push him around a few more times if she needed to and Usagi was still trying to figure out the mystery of all the events that led up to the mishap.

"You guys, what do you think made him do it?" Usagi suddenly inquired to Ami and Minako.

Minako shrugged. "Something did. He couldn't keep his hands or eyes off you during the ride to the hotel and then he went through almost half a bottle of scotch by himself on the way to the club. Did you remember saying anything to him at the restaurant?" She had to admit that it was very out of character for him to do what he did.

"No… I was too busy trying to answer Mamoru's texts. He wouldn't leave me alone last night."

"What did he want?" Ami's ears perked.

The odango-head sighed before starting. "He… wants me to stop hanging around Seiya."

"Why?" Minako blinked in confusion. "What's his deal with Seiya?"

"He just… doesn't like him. He heard the rumors about Seiya and me. And so yesterday he told me to promise him not see Seiya anymore."

"…And did you promise him?" the blue-haired girl inched closer in order to catch every word of her blonde friend's response.

Usagi regrettably nodded. "He told me I was going to get hurt. That I was going to end up like all of his other girlfriends after he got what he wanted out of me. It just scared me so much. Everything he said had a high possibility of happening and I just… freaked out. I told him I'd break it off with Seiya." Her bottom lip started to quiver.

"So then why did you go with us last night?" Minako was holding an air of calmness.

"Because I… I don't want to not see him anymore. I wanted a night with him to give me another reason to stay with him; to prove Mamoru wrong. I thought I wanted to protect myself from Seiya but at the same time I also want him."

"Did you tell that to Mamoru?" Ami asked.

Usagi shook her head. "No. He just stressed me out so much yesterday, like he still wants to control me the way he used to. I had to go to the restroom in order to calm myself down and get away from it all."

For some reason, that statement triggered Ami to connect the dots. "Yeah… I remember seeing you messing with your phone and then leaving… Did you happen to leave it out or put it back inside your purse at all…?"

Usagi then looked down, still pensive. She was trying her hardest to recall the chronology of events in the restaurant.

"Well I don't remember taking anything to the restroom with me. I think… I put my phone in my chair… yeah, yeah-" her eyes immediately widened in such revelation. "You don't think…?"

Ami and Minako looked at each other in realization.

"Oh God…" Usagi slowed her pace and covered her mouth. "No… no, no, no, no! I can't believe it…" Her epiphany was disturbed by the chiming sound coming from her cell phone. She took it out to read the new text from Mamoru.

"**We need to talk"**

"Who is it? Is it Mamoru?" Minako inquired.

The blonde slowly nodded her head. "He says he wants to talk to me… I don't know what about."

"I think I might have an idea…" Ami uttered before pointing out the massive crowd of paparazzi standing in front of the school.

* * *

_He looked around himself before taking the phone to go through Usagi and Mamoru's text history in the last hour._

"_**Are you doing ok?"**_

"_**Im fine"**_

"_**I know you're upset and I feel badly but I'm only looking out for you"**_

"_**I know"**_

"_**Its best that you break things off with him now before it gets any worse"**_

"_**don't worry I plan to"**_

"_**Do it soon before you fall back into his trap. Like I said, he knows what he's doing"**_

"_**its okay. I think I should be able handle it"**_

"_**If you need to talk some more or anything, let me know. Seiya might try something. He knows you're special"**_

"_**Special as in how?"**_

"_**As in you're a virgin. He probably hasn't had one in a while lol"**_

"_**well just give me time. I cant just abruptly stop everything"**_

"_**Of course you can"**_

_He could feel his throat closing up, his stomach turning itself inside out, his heart hurting… As calmly as he could, he set Usagi's phone to the homepage and gingerly placed it back on her chair. He tried to keep himself from shaking, from crying, from leaving the restaurant right now to find Mamoru's place so he could take his rage out on him. He was manipulating Usagi to the point that he convinced her to stop being his friend. If that was the case, was she only here tonight as a sympathy date?_

_Seiya's appetite soon disappeared and was replaced by a nauseating pain all over his body. He could not believe his eyes; he could not believe that she would say such things. He thought he had her… he thought she was finally his. Why was this so hard? Why did it have to be a girl that he truly cared for be so difficult to keep? Why did it have to be those so important to him that ended up abandoning him?_

_The musician decided he would drink the rest of his dinner tonight._

* * *

Seiya sighed in irritation and folded the newspaper back up after finishing reading his tabloid; the memory of last night flashing back into his mind as if it only happened five minutes ago. It felt as if when he took a step forward, something happened that pushed him ten steps back. He used to think that if he were famous, life would be easier and the world would revolve around him. He would have all the money, power and women at his disposal—what happened that made him want to give that up for feeling like this?

But he would be a fool to give HER up.

A hard slam at his window interrupted the idol's train of thought and practically scared him back to the real world. A large group of photographers and reporters swarmed the car as they pulled up to the front of the school. It was going to be a long day…

"Seiya, could I please have a few words with you?"

"Why did you leave your date alone?"

"Is it true that you were directly involved with her assault?"

"Do you think she'll ever forgive you?"

"Would you say you're sorry for what happened?"

"Are you together again with Ms. Shiino?"

Cameras, flashes, microphones and personal recording devices came from every direction. Yaten and Taiki trailed behind their leader, half-glad that all the attention was on Seiya. Every now and then he would shake his head and reply with heavy sighs and pushing away anything that was too close to his face. But he was fighting with every ounce of his being to not deck a reporter or photographer in the jaw. All they needed to do was reach school grounds and they would be home free until school dismissed. He needed school to hopefully keep his mind off of things.

The Three Lights reached that shining first step of stoops that marked the beginning of the school's property. As fast as they could, all three raced up the stairs to avoid the chaos that was below them. But Seiya stopped once he reached the top and turned around at the sound of a voice.

"There she is! That's her right there coming in!!"

And like a million moths to a flame, the paparazzi swarmed around a familiar odango-head and bombarded her with pictures and questions. She looked baffled, scared and exhausted. Seiya noticed how Ami and Minako were pushed to the back of the crowd and were trying their hardest to get through in order to help their trapped blonde companion. But not even they could crawl through the tight squeeze of the press.

He took some time to think for a moment as he watched what was happening before his eyes. She did not deserve this, not one bit. She did not deserve to be left behind, assaulted and bothered. Even if she might not want to be with him, it was his fault that their issue was made public. Things could have gone a lot smoother had he not overreacted and drank himself to humiliation.

Plus, feelings just do not simply go away.

"Where are you going, Seiya?!" Taiki yelled as he watched the black-haired teenager jump down the stairs and run back into the sea of people. He pushed and shoved his way toward Usagi and ignored more camera flashes and press inquiries. Once he reached the blonde, he grabbed her by the arm.

"C'mon." He ordered and began using himself to plow through the paparazzi.

She did not hesitate to follow him and let herself be led out of the craziness. She was slightly bewildered by Seiya's actions, but was also glad that he was touching and approaching her again.

"Ma'am, does this mean you've forgiven Seiya?"

"Are you and Seiya dating again?"

"Any comments on what happened last night?"

She looked around wide-eyed into the lenses and microphones that where shoved in her face. Usagi did not know what else to do besides smile nervously and follow Seiya. She did not want to get caught in the sticky situation of answering a question and the media warping it into a scandal. In a weird way, she was very overwhelmed and excited about the attention. But she was mainly confused as to how it all had leaked to the press.

"Don't talk to them. They don't have to know anything." Seiya pulled the odango-head closer and whispered in her ear. Even though he had done that act many times in the past, Usagi could not help but feel the absence of the usual flirtatiousness. It made her feel that he was only saving her out of his mere duty as a public figure.

The two teenagers somehow made it out of the crowd and journeyed up the stoops to safety. Yaten and Taiki were still waiting at the top.

"Hey Usagi, are you doing okay?" Yaten asked.

Usagi nodded vigorously. "I'm fine."

"I'm sorry you got mixed up in all this. Everyone else is so bored with their lives that they have to make a big deal out of ours." Taiki retorted annoyingly.

"It… it's fine." She tried to put on a smile.

"We have to hurry, the bell rings in five minutes." Seiya's face held a stoic expression and he avoided even looking in Usagi's path.

"Right, let's go." Taiki started toward the front entrance and Yaten followed silently. Though, the other two failed to make a move.

He decided to bite the bullet and do what had to be done. "Odango…"

She perked up at the pet name and looked to Seiya, awaiting the rest of his statement.

"I'm sorry about all this. Last night and this… I…" he gulped and deeply sighed to gather more courage to finish his apology. "…I was careless and drunk last night and should have been there with you at all times. I'm sorry… I really am."

Short and sweet; Usagi felt like she could not have given a better apology about such things. Then again, who is she to judge? She knew full well that she owed one to him. Somehow, she was able to smile and nod.

"I know you didn't intend for me to get attacked. We all make mistakes. I forgive you…" She wished that could have been the end of it; the answer to just completely erase any feelings of contempt and wipe away all that happened last night… as if it was merely a nightmare.

But that would make things way too easy.

There, it was done. He made his peace and did what was right. It was now all over and ultimately all in vain. And he can walk away without that on his shoulders. With nothing more than a meek statement of, "thanks," Seiya turned on his heel and started toward the school.

"Wait, Seiya!" Usagi yelled as she trotted her way to the idol. He complied with her request but did not turn around to properly greet her. He could not bring himself to look at her without wanting to take her up in his arms and kiss her.

She stopped a few feet behind him, about to ask a question she already knew the answer to. But she had to know for sure in case last night was any indication of his old habits surfacing.

"Why…? Not really about why you left me but why… were you acting so cold?"

The odango-head saw Seiya lift his head and his shoulders sag following a deep breath. "I read your texts…"

Oh God… no. She clenched her teeth to keep from crying out and scrunched her eyes to unsuccessfully keep her tears inside her eyelids. She was grateful that Seiya still had his back to her and could not witness the pitiful sight she was.

"It's okay. I understand. You don't need to apologize for anything. It's still no excuse for my actions last night. And I can't control how you feel and what you do." He grimly chuckled. "I'm sorry for everything."

"No, Seiya. Please… It's-"

But her beseeching was silenced by the roar of the crowd of fan girls that began circling Seiya. Usagi was in the middle of reaching out to him and her fingertips barely grazed the arm of his jacket before ten bodies stepped in the way. The odango-head was roughly pushed and shoved around until she found herself off the pavement and on the grass. The female fans surrounded the musician in efforts to soothe and, at the same time, interrogate him on his scandal.

Usagi did not know how she would get herself out of the clusterfuck she put herself into.

* * *

The young July sun was showing no mercy and Tenth Street's football team was once again plagued with near heat exhaustion. Adding on the stress of losing a friend and being at the center of bad press and it becomes the practice scrimmage from hell for Seiya Kou.

It was third down and the quarterback managed to get sacked seven yards behind the line of scrimmage. The offense had seventeen yards to make up for in order to achieve a first down and only one chance to do it. At this rate no one was playing their best and just wanted practice to be over with. Soon, the pigskin flew high in the air for almost twenty yards; straight to the star running back. Seiya heaved himself as fast as he could and looked behind to keep his eye on the spinning ball. It was a perfect throw: it arched just right, soared smoothly through the wind and lacked any wobbliness. The idol outstretched his hands to cradle the ball once it would land in them. But he was not counting on his arms being just a few centimeters too far apart and he watched with mortified eyes the pigskin flying down between his appendages and taking a harsh left after bouncing on the grass.

Groans could be heard throughout the field and the bleachers. It was something Seiya did not like hearing but the day was just full of disappointments and he quickly got over it. The coach called his name to sit him out and then sent the second-string running back in his place. With exasperated and rough handling, Seiya tore off his chinstrap and threw off his helmet. He tossed his sweaty, raven-haired head around a few times while grabbing for a water bottle from the football assistant. But before he could squirt the icy, precious liquid into his thirsty mouth, he spotted a rarity sitting in the very first row of the bleachers.

Usagi sat there tightly hugging her book bag to her chest. He noticed her biting her lip and trying to smile with her eyes only. Perhaps she was trying to keep herself from crying… Both the teenagers just let themselves sink deeper into the staring contest, exchanging glances filled with guilt, betrayal and adoration for what seemed like forever. It was only interrupted by one of Seiya's teammates putting his arm around the musician to give him a pep talk about his day.

Minako, Ami and Makoto sat around the broken blonde.

"It's my entire fault…" The odango-head stated, still keeping her eyes on player number: eighteen.

"How do you figure that?" Makoto asked from behind her.

The blonde shrugged. "If I had only ignored Mamoru's texts or ignored what he had to say yesterday, none of this would have happened. Seiya wouldn't be bombarded with all this bad press and he would be talking to me."

"Don't think that way. Things happen for a reason," Minako defended from the odango-head's left, "You now know what he's capable of once he's faced with a hard situation."

"But that hard situation was my fault…"

"Usagi," Ami began rubbing her friend's back, "Minako's right in a way. He didn't handle it very well and it's good that you found out now rather than if you guys were deep in an actual relationship."

"Would you have done any different, though? I don't care who you are, it doesn't feel good to find out that someone you care about is going to up and leave you over a text. We both fucked up this time and I can't just leave him hanging."

The three friends were left speechless and exchanged bewildered and suspicious looks with one another.

"No matter what we say or what he does, nothing is going to change your mind about him. Is that right, Usagi?" Makoto cocked an eyebrow once the blonde turned around to face her.

"W-what are you saying?"

Before another word between the four teenage girls was uttered, the coach blew the whistle three times, signaling the end of football practice. All the players jogged their way to the locker room and the fan girls hopped down the bleachers and filed out and off school grounds. Once the area cleared, Usagi and Seiya were left and resumed back to their staring contest. The athlete sauntered over to the odango-head who held her high place standing in the bleacher area.

"What brings you here, Odango?"

"You weren't at lunch and… I have to talk to you."

He gave a sideways smirk and looked around. "Alright…"

"Look at me!" Usagi barked, a fire burning through her eyes. It was out-of-character enough to jolt Seiya into obeying. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean those things I wrote to Mamoru. It was wrong and completely out of line. I realize now how much I care about you too much to stop everything. If I could take it all back, I would. I might have told Mamoru something but I can't stress enough how much I feel the exact opposite. I don't… want to lose you."

Her eyes slowly became glossed in tears and she let a slight whimper escape her lips.

"So why did you say 'yes' in the first place?" Seiya firmly asked.

The blonde bit her lip and shifted her eyes between looking at him and at the ground which made the musician numbly laugh—knowing the answer just by her body language.

"I knew my reputation would come around to bite me in the ass one day…"

"I was just scared, okay? Could you blame me? I finally let myself care about you only to have someone tell me that I might end up like the rest of them. I was afraid… And I'm sorry."

"But you're not like the rest of them… Mamoru was right about one thing: you are special, and not just to him."

Usagi blushed slightly and managed to feebly beam.

Seiya continued. "I didn't have any intention of you ending up like all the others. I would be an idiot to hurt you like that. I promise you have nothing to worry about. I want you to trust me on that."

She could not contain it inside anymore. The butterflies thrashed all around her stomach and released a wave of euphoric emotion throughout her body. With a slight jump, she threw herself onto him and took him up in a tight embrace. The odango-head became even more ecstatic to feel Seiya's arms encircle her waist.

"So you forgive me?" she asked.

"Only if you forgive ME…" he answered with a smile.

* * *

Feeling like a new person, Usagi lingered by the boys' locker room door and messed around on her phone, waiting for Seiya to come out. Her small, pale fingers meticulously pressed and tapped on the touch screen, looking like she never had so much fun in her life. Not too long after, the idol emerged from the door with his cell phone in hand.

"Oi Odango, excuse me for a minute."

The blonde just smirked in response—watching him walk a few feet away to finish a phone conversation—and proceeded to continue playing with her talking device when another nickname of hers quietly echoed through the hallway.

"Usa…?"

She held her breath and slowly looked in the direction of the voice's point of origin. There stood Mamoru who just appeared from the athletic director's office and he held what looked like a small newspaper in his hand. His dark blue eyes could be best described as confused and somewhat disillusioned. And Usagi returned his stare with one of subtle defiance with a sweet face.

Usagi realized that she had not answered any of the tennis pro's texts during the day—ranging from **"what's going on?"** to **"can you explain to me why you were with Seiya last night?" **So he must have been a little upset. But for once in her life, she did not want to hear it. He led her on through their three long years of friendship and now he all of a sudden knew what and who was good for her? No… not this time. She knew deep down she had to pick one or the other. But Usagi was not going to be manipulated anymore. She did not want to be controlled…

"Okay, you ready?"

Seiya had finally ended his discussion and was already donning his sunglasses. Usagi broke her gaze from the other black-haired man.

"Yeah," she smiled.

"I think everyone's at the Crown. Wanna go?"

The odango-head shrugged. "Sure. Although I spent the last of my money on a collar for Lala but I would love to hang out."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of you." The idol smirked while putting his arm around Usagi's shoulders and pulling her closer to him. "Stay close. They bite."

Before the two stepped out into the paparazzi madhouse that still awaited them outside, Usagi slightly glanced over to Mamoru for one last time, for one last goodbye.

* * *

While letting out a loud but content sigh, Usagi stepped through her front door. Her intended direction was up the stairs but a loud guffaw coming from the living room kept her with following through. With curious eyes and ears, the odango-head walked into the room to see her mother and father at it at a game of Scrabble.

"Usagi, you're home. Want to play next round?" Her father, Kenji Tsukino, asked.

"Yes, Usagi, you should. We're playing naughty Scrabble." Ikuko winked before sipping on her fruity martini.

The blonde laughed nervously and shook her head. "Eh… no thanks…"

"Suit yourself, kid." Kenji shrugged.

"Have fun, you two." Usagi turned around and restarted her pathway to the stairs before her mother made a statement that stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Wait, I have to ask you something!"

Oh… no… "Yes…?" she turned around and began to sweat. Hopefully her mother did not check the gossip column today. Ikuko was not usually consistent with her celebrity gossip. But she would not know until her mother asked her question. And Usagi could not escape her face being plastered all over the news. Oh God, please… please! She just got out of being neck-deep in drama.

"I haven't seen Mamoru in a while. Are you still head over heels in love with him?"

Of all the questions in the world to ask, it had to be that. Usagi had the vodka in her mother's drink to thank for that. "Um… I didn't tell you?"

"Apparently not."

She coughed and scratched the back of her head. "Well, I actually found out not too long ago that he's… gay…"

Ikuko's dark eyes widened and let her mouth hang open. "I knew it! I knew there was something about him! He was just so OFF to me just stringing you along!"

"Ikuko dear, calm down. You don't have to scream." Kenji was regretting mixing her fourth cocktail for her.

As if she was suddenly hit with a severe mood swing, the purple-haired woman gasped excitedly. "Oh yes, that's it! I got it!" She quickly picked up all seven of her letter tiles and began adding onto the word "sex" already spelled out in the middle of the board.

"Ho-mo-sex-ual; I WIN!"

"What?! That's not naughty!" Kenji argued.

"Sure it is. It has the word "sex" in it!"

Well at least SOMEONE put Usagi's pain to good use.


	11. The Reawakening

**Hi guys! Okay, y'all can put down the torches and pitchforks now! ^_^;;; Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy this! **

_**My heart becomes so warm**_

"_Hi everyone and welcome to the show for the latest in Japanese pop culture, I'm Nana Oniga. Our top story: not too long ago, one of Japan's most talented and high profile musicians, Seiya Kou of the Three Lights, was in the news for being involved in the alleged assault of a young girl—a Usagi Tsukino—at a posh club in Roppongi. Though sources reveal that he wasn't directly involved, it did not stop the paparazzi from finding him at school the next day…"_

_Scene cuts to a recording of Seiya pushing his way through the press crowd at Tenth Street. Reporters and photographers ask questions, but they go unanswered. Nana still talks over the footage._

"_The story goes that the Three Lights were made an appearance at Club Unite in the Roppongi district last Thursday night. Each of them brought dates who are also schoolmates of theirs."_

_The scene shows the video camera footage from the night and then an interview with the owner of the club._

"_Apparently it went that the young lady was sitting at the bar all by herself and was approached by a strange man. Before she knew it, he was trying to drag her out the door. Luckily she screamed loud enough for my head bartender to come and save her."_

"_Where was Seiya Kou during all this?" The unnamed interviewer asked from behind the camera._

_The club owner shrugged. "Off talking to Kieta."_

_Nana is heard as a voiceover. "But the even bigger surprise was that later that next day; him and Usagi left school grounds together."_

_Footage changes to a quick interview given by Seiya with his arm around Usagi. "It was just a misunderstanding between friends and we've worked it out." Seiya stated. "In no way did I directly contribute to her assault but all that matters is that it's cleared up between Miss Tsukino and me." _

"_Miss Tsukino, could you comment on what happened?" Came a voice from behind the camera. _

_The odango-head blushed and giggled nervously before Seiya spoke for her._

"_Sorry but, we have to get going. We'll be taking your questions at a later time." He said before he began plowing through the crowd to a waiting car._

_Scene cuts back to Nana. "Well that's a relief for those two and we here at Japanese Gossip wish them all the best. Miss Tsukino has not pressed charges as of yet. Watch out for the Three Light's new single which is rumored to drop later this month on Seiya Kou's birthday, July 30."_

Usagi expelled an exasperated sigh. "God, I looked so dumb." She was panged with feeling sympathy for Seiya and his life in the limelight. Though, she quickly changed the channel and her mood when she heard her mother's footsteps padding toward the living room. Once the purple-haired woman made her entrance, it was revealed that she was holding a very fluffy Lala.

"Usagi, do you plan to take Lala for her grooming today?"

"Eh… well I was thinking later this week since I spent half of my allowance on her collar."

Ikuko rolled her eyes. "Half of your allowance went on a collar? Does it also grant wishes? A collar should be the last thing on your list. She needs to be groomed. Look at her! I can sweep the floor with her overgrown mane."

"Okay, well then can I get an advance?" Usagi was quickly becoming irate. "If you want me to do it today so badly, then you need to help me out a bit."

The mother huffed. "We've only had her for a couple of weeks. You need to take care of her properly, and that includes her scheduled grooming. She's your dog."

"Yeah, yeah… God!"

"Don't 'yeah, yeah' me! If you plan to keep her, you need to act more responsible."

The blonde's eyes widened in pure horror. "You can't give her away, she was a gift!"

"Gift or not, I will-" Ikuko was abruptly cut off by the ringing of the doorbell. She growled. "Hold on, we're not through. Stay here." The mother put Lala down on the ground and strode to the foyer to open the front door while barely missing an aggravated Usagi making a face at her mother's back.

"Hello, Tsukino residence! I'm here for a Lala Tsukino!" An overtly happy woman holding a huge duffel bag and a fold-out table stood at the doorstep. She was fully clad in what looked like a white lab coat with a logo of a dog stitched over her left breast.

Ikuko raised a brow. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Oh please excuse me." The woman dropped her things to properly greet the lady of the house with a bow. "My name is Nina and I'm here from Head to Tails Pet Grooming." She reached into her coat and pulled out a business card to hand to a still very confused Ikuko. "I'm scheduled for Lala's grooming today."

"Oh no, no, we didn't order any grooming from you guys. You must be mistaken." She had heard about how Head to Tails was famous for their 30,000 yen services, not including the full-body massage. And she knew her husband was too frugal to even consider professionally grooming any animal. Could there really be another Lala Tsukino?

"Don't worry ma'am. The bill is already taken care of." Nina winked as if she was reading the mother's mind.

"It… has…? By who?"

* * *

He promptly and effortlessly entered his key into the lock of the mailbox and gave it one sharp turn to the left. Once the small metal door opened, Taiki's long hand reached inside to retrieve the clutter of bills and letters that were nestled tightly in the tiny box. For a bit, the copper-headed musician sifted through the envelopes and occasionally tossed some of them in a nearby trashcan that he judged useless. His efficient filing was disrupted by sudden confusion once he reached the third to last envelope; it was colored purple, had clearly been sprayed with fruity perfume as the scent wafted around his nose and Seiya's name was elaborately written across the packet.

The tall Light brusquely made it to his apartment and opened the front door. His target was right where he wanted him to be: lazing on the couch, attentively playing a video game.

"Hey guys." Taiki called out before closing the door.

"Hey…" Yaten barely spoke as he waved from his position sitting at the dining room table, never taking his lime irises from the book he was reading.

Seiya's eyes and body stayed fixated in their place—at the TV and on the couch. His deep concentration caused him to be silent to Taiki's greeting.

"Seiya, I'm home!" Taiki raised his voice to specifically get Seiya's attention.

He swiftly turned his head to look to his tall band mate. "Welcome home," he uttered before his neck swiveled his eyes right back to watching the TV.

The brown-headed teenager meandered over to situate himself standing behind the couch. "A funny thing happened today. You've received some mail."

"Just lay it on the counter. I'll look at it later." The black-haired idol bit his bottom lip while his determined gape intensified. He started pressing the buttons more fervently and steered the controller to the right, as if that would have helped his digital vehicle turn.

Taiki nodded and took the pretty parchment packet in his hand to give it another onceover. "Actually would you mind if I just opened it now? I'm sure it's nothing."

"Sure… whatever. Who's it from?"

"Head to Tails. Gotta say: that's one hell of a stripper name." The giant genius of the group grinned mischievously at the sight of Seiya abruptly pausing the video game and standing up; its importance now dwindled.

"Actually, I'll just look at it by myself. Thanks." The raven-headed boy timidly smiled and tried to snatch the purple envelope from Taiki's hand. But the giant had a firm grip on it.

"Now I've read up on Dobermans and found that they're quite the minimal shedders. Professional grooming isn't necessarily needed." His mauve eyes gazed deep into Seiya's dark blues, trying to break his wall through the intense stare.

And he fell right into the trap. "Well, uh… it's uh… um… hah, it's not for Coco."

"Uh HUH, I knew it. What are you doing paying for her dog's grooming now? What's its name, Kiki or something?"

"It's Lala… and don't act so dramatic. This is just the first one. And besides, it's kind of my fault for buying her a dog that requires so much grooming."

A copper eyebrow raised in skepticism. "Really, Seiya? Did she say that while unzipping your pants?"

He groaned in vexation and pulled the envelope out of Taiki's loosened clutch. "Odango's always complaining about how she never has any money to hang out anymore because she has to take care of that dog. I'm just helping out."

"You were already helping her out anyway. I've never seen her pay for anything when you're with her… ever."

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "You know what? Just lay off. I'll do what I want with my money. If I want to spend it on Odango, I'll spend it on Odango. I like hanging out with her and if it requires a little money to do so then fine."

"A little defensive today, are we?" Yaten observed and gave away his silent place of eavesdropping.

Seiya turned to the silver-haired boy to give him the death glare from hell until Taiki made a comment that made it disappear as soon as he even thought to give it.

"You love her."

He quickly looked to Taiki, his mouth slightly agape and his eyes softened in feigned misunderstanding. "What?"

"I get it now… you're in love with Usagi."

Seiya's mouth emitted a fake laugh as he briskly shook his head. "That's… How can you-? You're talking out of your ass!"

"Then what it is? She obviously has you in her palm." The tall Light grinned.

"You know what, this conversation is over. You need to learn to mind your own fucking business from now on." Seiya spat at his band mate with glaring eyes and venom in his tone. He stamped promptly to his room before slamming the door shut.

Yaten raised a silver eyebrow. "Damn, I think we made him a bit upset."

"It's because it's true and he knows it…" Taiki mumbled.

"What makes you think he's in love?"

"I didn't initially. I said it just to fuck with him and he pretty much admitted it himself with his response."

Yaten chuckled. "You're a bastard. He never admitted he loved her."

"He didn't deny it either…"

Yaten shrugged. "I think he's just coming off fucking up with her. He's excited that she's forgiven him. Seiya's never in anything for the long-haul. I bet it'll wear off soon."

"I bet not. You said it yourself: he's excited about making up. Usually he would have moved on if anything got tough in the slightest between him and another girl. This is the longest he's ever talked to the same girl… in his life… ever…"

The silver-headed teenager folded his arms and defiantly glared at Taiki. "Alright then, why was he just totally ragging it when you brought it up?"

"He's just afraid…" Taiki trailed off as he looked toward Seiya's closed door.

* * *

"Ah! It's free! Mako, hurry!"

"I'm on it!" the lengthy brunette used her inherent athletic skills and raced toward the girls' usual lunch spot under the oak tree. For the last couple of weeks during the summertime, the shady spot had been taken up by other various cliques and the girls had to resort to eating inside or under the blistering sun. If only Ami would not take so long during her bathroom breaks. But today, they made it.

The remaining three teenagers caught up with Makoto and sat a circle before they began unpacking their lunches. Though Minako noticed that their clique seemed significantly smaller today…

"Where're the Lights?"

The rest of the group was also in stupefaction before Usagi spoke up.

"They had to leave in order to finalize their trip to Hawaii. They're going there to film their music video next week during summer break."

Makoto smirked. "Well aren't we in the know all of a sudden? I'm surprised you're not going with them."

The blonde snorted. "Why would I go with them?"

"Ugh, never mind…" the tall brunette shook her head and commenced on eating her lunch.

"Speaking of Seiya, I couldn't help but notice that's quite a nice Juicy school bag you have there…" Ami stated. The girls were whispering behind their odango-headed friend's back for a few days now. Ever since the fiasco at the club, it would be expected that their relationship be tainted but it, in fact, made them closer than ever. All three had conspired to try to get something out of her during the lunch hour. So far, Minako's and Makoto's inquiries provided the right opening for Ami to take her proactive approach.

Usagi beamed. "You like it? Seiya bought it for me for my birthday. I had my old one since first year and it was looking pretty sad. He insisted on this one since designer lasts a long time."

"But you're a third year…" Minako reasoned, sneakily.

"Well, I do plan to go to a university. They carry bags around too."

"Fair enough." The red-bowed flaxen backed off.

Usagi sneered and glared at her friends. "What's with you guys? You've been acting strange all week."

Makoto smirked. "What's up with you and Seiya?"

The odango-head gave her group the evil eye, catching onto their subtle cunningness. "Is that what this is about: Seiya and me?"

"Honestly, when was it ever about anything else?" Ami asked before shoving a rice ball in her mouth.

"You're just looking especially… _couture_ lately, and people are… wondering…" Minako sputtered, "And you're not talking."

"Ugh, I can't believe you guys! It's no one's business anyway." Usagi rolled her eyes.

"That's saying a lot by saying nothing. You're hiding something." Makoto alleged.

"I'm not hiding anything! There's nothing to tell because there's nothing going on! There, you happy?" Usagi explained furiously.

Ami could not help but blush at her blonde friend's outrage. "But is that what you're really trying to keep to yourself?"

"Do you WISH that something was going on?" Makoto winked.

The odango-head opened her mouth to defend herself but all that could come out was silence. Who was she really trying to fool? No matter how hard she tried to hide anything, she could not hide anything well from her threee best friends. Though, it would be nice to let it out. If she thought about it enough, they technically were on her side.

But she did not want to look stupid. She was embarrassed enough of how Seiya treated her at the club and that the whole nation knew about it. She did not want to come off as if she were chasing someone. She did not want to let them know of how much she thought about him and that night they locked themselves in his room during the house party. And she did the unthinkable of caring for him a lot more than she intended and knew she could for a person.

"No," She muttered. Usagi snorted and shook her head. "We're just friends."

"Bullshit!" Minako barked. "I've never seen you lie so hard through your teeth. You love Seiya!"

The odango-haired teenager choked on her own saliva when Minako spoke her mind. "Excuse me?"

Reverting back to being in grade school, the red-bowed girl waved her arms and hips in a little jig. "You love Seiya. You love Seiya!"

"Mina, please. Be quiet." Usagi pleaded quietly at her sing-song friend. Although Makoto and Ami were contently taking in the entertaining sight and did not think to help cure Usagi's discomfiture.

"You love Seiya! You wanna marry him and have his babies… Na na na na na na!" Minako continued.

"Mina, STOP IT! Just leave me alone, okay?" There was a flame in Usagi's eyes that no one had ever seen before; it was a mixture of annoyance and denial. As all three of her comrades stared at her in silence and trepidation, the enraged odango-head packed up her barely eaten bento box and stormed off across the schoolyard and back into the school building.

"What was THAT?" Makoto frantically looked to her the remaining seated friends for answers.

"I've never seen Usagi act that way." Ami stated from behind her hand, her sea-blue eyes glancing at Minako.

Minako gulped. "I didn't mean to make her upset… I didn't think it would…"

"Apparently she's really sensitive about this for some reason or another, but why?" The tall brunette furrowed her brow and looked to her half-eaten lunch.

"Because she does love him…" Ami observed.

Minako and Makoto turned to their blue-haired friend in confusion and anticipation for the explanation.

"What? But she just got so pissed off about it-" Minako began.

"If she didn't love him, she wouldn't have gotten so angry," Ami carried on over Minako, "And she didn't say that she didn't love him… she would have denied it immediately if that were the case. Wouldn't you think?"

"She's right," Makoto piped up, "But love? Really? She's so young… HE'S so young."

"Something's there, though, most definitely." The remaining blonde spoke. Her comment gave her a bemused feeling in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

Looking intently at the last period's teacher as he lectured, but having her mind completely elsewhere, Usagi curled one of her golden tendrils around her finger. Right about now she should be feeling Seiya poking at her back or messing with locks of her hair by wrapping it around pencil in severe boredom… but not today. Seiya was initially a distraction and dreadful annoyance for the odango-head but throughout the warm months, had had come up to warm up to his antics and flirtatious advances… a lot.

Maybe too much.

Feeling these intense emotions surpassed the giggly schoolgirl crush phase Usagi experienced during her attraction for Mamoru. The mishap at the nightclub indicated just how strong her and Seiya's relationship was. There was something to test it; you always had to know the bitter in order to know the sweet. And oh were there ever such sweet moments shared between them.

Finally the bell rang to release the students from school altogether. Usagi slowly gathered her things and did not hesitate to start walking out the door with the rest of the pupil herd, not bothering to wait for any of her three friends. And they were neither racing to catch up with her. Instead, they were more than likely gathered together at Makoto's desk whispering and gossiping about her blow-up at lunch or, as always, the status of her and Seiya's liaison. Usagi would have thought they would be bored of it now, but she just HAD to get upset and storm off and give them something more to talk about. The odango-head still had not calmed down since lunch period and needed to sleep on the situation before she would approach them for an apology. She took it out of hand and knew Minako was only being herself. But for now, she just wanted to curl with Lala and take a nap to clear her mind of the clutter and just… rest.

As the flock of students dispersed in different directions, it was as if the Red Sea had been parted only for Usagi to be staring straight into the sunglasses-covered eyes of Seiya Kou. There he was leaning casually against the wall with his hands nestled comfortably in his pockets and wearing that knee-weakening, roguish smirk on his face; that smile was a blessing and a curse for the blonde. Even though his dark eyes were covered with the wafer-like sunglasses, she could tell they were staring straight at her.

"Seiya, what are you doing back? Finished with everything?" Usagi strolled to him with a partly feigned closed-mouth smile on her face. Hell, she was happy to see him but just his presence alone did not make her forget the early happenings of the day; in fact, it just brought to issue even more to the forefront of her mind.

"I thought I'd come by to pick you up." He responded, still showing off that damned smirk.

"Aw how sweet of you," she chuckled, "But I have a manga club meeting."

The idol shrugged. "Skip it."

She cocked a golden eyebrow. "Yeah… I can't do that."

"Sure you can. The door's right there." Seiya pointed past Usagi to a set of main doors near her homeroom. The bright afternoon sunlight spilled into the dim, artificially lit enclosed high school hallways every time a student opened the door to exit.

Usagi continued chuckling to hide her nervousness. Maybe it would not be so bad to skip… "No, I don't think I can…"

"I'll buy you cake." The raven-headed pop star knew all too well how to get to the heart of persuading the blonde beauty.

She was now fully laughing. "Seiya, I can't. I've never skipped before." She was careful to harshly whisper that last sentence throughout her snickering. Her mind went back and forth as to whether or not cake would be something adequate enough to sacrifice her presence at an anime and manga meeting in return. Her internal judgment was pointing to yes.

"It's easy. Just come with me." He did not wait for her to once more negatively respond to his statement and quickly grabbed her hand. Forceful enough to pull her close to him but still gentle that he did not hurt the girl, Seiya interlace his fingers with hers and bent down to deeply whisper in her ear. "If you get caught, you can just tell them I made you. You're my hostage for the day."

Usagi had to practically slap herself out of her stupor in order to keep her balance behind Seiya whilst he dragged her away.

* * *

"Oh my God, this cupcake is SO good." Usagi spoke while her mouth was still full with the fluffy yet creamy texture of strawberries and butter cream. She did not bother to wipe off any cake crumbs from her mouth quite yet.

"Good. It came from the best bakery in the district." Seiya smiled as he watched her inhale her bribe. Both of the teenagers had just sat down on a lonely bench at a park for Usagi to enjoy her treat.

She wiped her chin of escaped frosting and licked her finger so as to not waste the tasty, sugary confection. "…As well as the most expensive bakery in the whole city. At least I got what you paid for," the blonde winked, "You want some?" She held the remnants of the destroyed dessert out to Seiya.

"No thanks. I gotta maintain my rock star body." The idol patted his stomach and grinned.

Usagi giggled and took it upon herself to resume inhaling the offered cupcake scraps. "You're missing out on some of the best cupcakes in the district."

"Well only the best for you, Odango…"

He whispered his statement inaudibly enough for Usagi to not hear. She carelessly crumpled up the flimsy mini cake liner and threw it away in a nearby trashcan. Wiping her face of any remaining frosting or cake crumbs, she focused all her attention on Seiya. "So what do you want to do today?"

Seiya shrugged. "I don't know. I thought I could take you shopping again."

"Again, really?" Any other day she would have jumped at the offer and had him take her to the nearest high-end department store as fast as humanly possible. But today shopping just was not in her blood. Usagi felt bad coming home with bags of designer swag that she did not pay for. Sure Seiya offered every time and gladly paid… every time, but she wanted something more out of him. "But you just took me shopping."

"That was so long ago. I'm sure they've gotten more shipments in." He pulled out his cell phone from his back pocket and began fooling with it. "I'll call Roger to come pick us up-"

"Wait, no!" Usagi halted Seiya's dialing by putting her hands on his wrist that held the phone. She realized how loud she was and coughed to pass it off as a fluke of her voice. "I mean… why not another time? I'm kind of tired." Again with the half-lies; she simply just did not want to give him the impression he was only good for taking her out shopping. And maybe she was hoping for some alone time. Let the hormones rage on.

"Okay, that's fine," Seiya nodded. He switched the phone into his other hand and gently grabbed Usagi's fingers. He was very amused to see her blush. "What do you want to do then?"

She bit her lip to keep herself from squealing practically. And plus what she had in mind was a bit embarrassing so his touch was not the only contender in giving her butterflies. "Why don't we go back to your apartment and watch a movie? I haven't been there since the party and you don't have to spend any money."

Wait for it… wait for it… BAM! That wicked smirk was right on cue. "You want to go my apartment?"

Seiya gave her fingers an extra squeeze.

"Is that okay?"

"Of course."

* * *

Usagi slowly followed Seiya into his uptown high-rise apartment and took in the sight before her. Though she had been at his place a couple of times, the visits were separated by a period of weeks and it felt like a new place every time she came back. She still could not get over how she was on close terms with someone who lived so lavishly. She had hanged out with people like her friends who were very good window shoppers, as was she. But to actually be in the presence of someone who actually "has" and "can afford," it felt a bit surreal.

"You still want to watch a movie?" Seiya spoke up, disrupting Usagi's pensiveness as she stared at some painting on the wall that was undoubtedly priced in the thousands.

"Yeah!" she answered.

He pointed toward the TV where a DVD organizer sat beside it. "They're over there. You can pick which one you want."

Usagi silently complied and made her way over to the DVDs. She bent over slightly to get a better view of the film selection of the Three Lights. As she scanned the various titles, she heard Yaten emerge from his room and make small talk with his black-haired roommate after greeting the odango-head. She gave indication to Yaten that she was aware of him and greeted him back. Her eye then caught a peculiar DVD case on the bottom row that was all white with no title on the spine. Picking it up, she read the front cover with the words: "Seiya Kou: ages 5–12" written across. She turned to the conversing boys.

"Seiya, what's this?" Usagi waved the case to give him a view of it. Almost immediately after doing so, both of the boys' pairs of eyes widened; Yaten's lime-green hues held excitement and Seiya's steel blues were filled with horror.

"Oh yes, I completely forgot about this!" Yaten gasped elatedly and approached Usagi to take the DVD case and read the title for himself. "You found this in there?" He pointed to the multi-shelved organizer. The blonde nodded for her answer.

"Y'know, it's probably recorded over…" Seiya nervously said. He too walked over to join Usagi and Yaten.

"I'll bet it's not," the silver-haired teenager winked. "Let's give it a look." He opened the case to retrieve the DVD.

"What is it?" Usagi questioned, looking to both boys in inquisitiveness.

"You'll find out soon enough…" Yaten bit his tongue impishly and squatted in front of the entertainment center to turn on the DVD player.

Seiya looked like he was about to have a heart attack. "Yaten, please, she doesn't need to see that."

"Oh yes she does!"

"Now I'm really curious." Usagi put her hands on her hips and eyed the dark-headed idol guardedly. "What's on there that you don't want me to see?"

"Hilarity, that's what." Yaten threw his head back in laughter while loading the disc tray with the DVD. He went over to a chair to seat himself and Usagi was about to mimic him, although her eye was on the couch. She grabbed Seiya's wrist and coaxed him to follow.

"C'mon, Seiya, I promise I won't laugh." She winked and smiled.

"Yes you will." Seiya snickering sounded defeated. There was no way out at this point.

And was he ever right. The DVD turned out to contain old footages of commercials and acting parts he achieved when he was a child. Usagi especially had a fun time watching a coffee drink advertisement featuring a six-year-old Seiya sitting in a classroom about to pass out. The idea suddenly hits him that he has a can of a BOSS coffee drink laying in his desk. After sneaking a sip while the teacher was turned around writing on the chalkboard, his whole desk began to emit smoke and eventually powered up like a rocket. The ending scene showed him flying and crashing through the roof and into the sky whilst yelling in enjoyment, a cloud of smoke trailing behind him in his path spelled out the brand name.

"Oh my God, that was YOU? I remember watching that commercial when I was little. I thought you were so cool." Usagi managed to admit in between spouts of laughter. Half of her amusement came from seeing her pop star friend red in the face, having to hug herself to keep her sides from splitting.

A few more scenes came up highlighting small parts of little Seiya in movie roles. He played a child of a serial killer on an episode of an old, shortly-lived cop show, had five lines as an extra in a G-rated kids' film and was a spokesperson for a chewy candy among other small and big parts alike. Both Yaten and Usagi were having the time of their lives watching the young idol in his early days of acting.

"You never told me you were acting at that age." Usagi elbowed Seiya.

He shrugged. "It was a time I wanted to forget." His blue eyes darted every which way but at Usagi's.

"Oh c'mon, it's funny! You were a very cute little boy and a good actor I might add." She brushed off his comment as his embarrassment talking and recommenced watching Seiya's digital résumé.

After a few moments of uneasiness, Seiya had enough. "I'll be right back," He patted Usagi's knee and used it to push himself upward in a standing position. He briskly walked out of the living room and through his bedroom doorframe. The odango-head and Yaten paid no heed to Seiya's departure as their focus was still fixed on the DVD.

The next clip shed light on the rationale for Seiya's nervousness.

The scene looked to be home video footage of the eleven-year-old boy. It was a definite awkward stage that could be recognized by his pimply face. Behind him was a blue screen and he held a script in his hands and would look past the camera as if he was talking to someone; a producer perhaps. The conversation proved inaudible. He cleared his throat before he read a few lines as best as he could. Unfortunately, he kept stuttering and slurring his words. Not to mention his voice was cracking like crazy. After a few awkward coughs and laughs, he excused himself to get a glass of water and walked off-screen. The microphone that was still clipped to his shirt revealed an element of his childhood that was kept under wraps for years until now.

"_What're you doing?"_

"_I just need a drink of water…"_

"_Why? What's wrong? Why are you messing up?"_

"_I don't know. I just need some water."_

"_My boy doesn't mess up! What are you doing fucking this up?"_

"_Dad, please, I'm sorry. I just need some water!"_

"_You won't get anything until you read the scene and read it correctly! What's wrong with you?"_

The tears could be heard in Seiya's quivering voice. _"Nothing's wrong! Dad, I'm sorry."_

Static overshadowed the next set of words exchanged between father and son, a clue that perhaps the father was man-handling his once cash cow offspring. Usagi sat there in awe and silence in response to what she was hearing. Before the tears would accumulate, the scene was abruptly paused. The blonde looked over at Yaten who was pointing the remote control at the DVD player with a similar saddened and sympathetic expression.

"I forgot about that… I'm sorry you had to see that," the silver-headed boy muttered while placing the remote on the arm of the chair.

She looked around the room to find Seiya still missing. The thought of looking for him crossed her mind but her interest in what she just saw kept her seated.

"What was going on there?" Usagi asked, waiting for Yaten to respond after a few meditative minutes.

"Seiya was just another son of a stage parent. My uncle pushed him very hard. His mom left them when Seiya was about four and his dad didn't want to work, I guess. He pushed Seiya into show business and it was good for a while. But of course, every kid hits their awkward stage and by the time he was twelve, he wasn't getting anything anymore. He wasn't that cute little boy skyrocketing through a roof or eating candy. He was an awkward teenager with pimply skin, he was growing up. No one would give him anything."

"Was he ever… hit?" Usagi gulped.

Yaten shrugged. "I don't think so. I just think it was mostly all verbal and his dad did push him around a bit, but nothing that would leave a mark. Seiya's face was part of his whole career. He didn't want to hurt his source of income."

"So then what happened? Where is his dad?"

"After a few months of not landing any roles, he practically left him with my mom. He claimed that money was too tight for him to take care of his son properly so he just left him at our doorstep and took off." The shortie took a moment to breathe in order to deal with the reawakening of the formerly dormant memories.

"Is that when you guys starting singing, after he started living with you?"

Yaten nodded. "When he was about fifteen, we heard him singing in the shower and it didn't take us long to realize that he had some chops on him. My mom somehow convinced him to sing for her and she recorded him on an old tape recorder and mailed it to a label. After a few weeks, they wanted him to come in for a demo. But he didn't want to do it alone, y'know? He was so scared of being out on his own." He laughed to himself as the recollections kept flooding out. "He said he wouldn't go in without me, and Taiki wasn't doing anything at the moment so we convinced him to tag along too. So they just signed all three of us. It was a good thing though, because it turned out Seiya had such a talent for music and that Taiki and I could carry a tune. It didn't take him very long to catch on to the piano or any instrument for that matter. So then a week after we cut our first album, guess who calls?"

Usagi looked into Yaten's eyes. "His dad."

He bobbed his head. "He was right on cue. I don't know what was said between him and Seiya that first time but it hasn't stopped him from calling every once in a while. He knew he fucked up big time. Kids aren't awkward for forever and his dad was impatient. That's what he gets."

Usagi stayed silent for a while as she slowly took in what Yaten just told her. Everything was starting to fall into place and to make more sense: Seiya's sexual deviancy, his arrogant façade, his extreme reactions to betrayal…

"I'm going to go see how he's doing." Usagi excused herself and followed the same path to Seiya's bedroom as did he. The door was still open and she could see Seiya's figure standing in front of his sliding glassed balcony doors, looking off into the horizon; the sun was beginning to set into its usual orange glow. The blonde took in the sight of the pop star for a moment so as not to scare him out of his trance. She stepped calmly toward him to stop only a few feet away.

"Seiya?"

He swiftly turned toward the voice, revealing a dry face yet dejected in appearance. The view of her gave the idol the strength to muster a smile.

"Hey, Odango. Are you guys done in there?"

It was no use. He bottom lip began to shake and her sight was glossed in a watery haze. Usagi practically threw herself on Seiya to hold him tight as she sobbed fiercely in his shirt.

"I'm so sorry."

Seiya returned the embrace and rested his cheek on her golden head. "What're you sorry for? You didn't do anything."

"Yaten… told me… everything… about your dad…" She sniffled from the depths of Seiya's chest and dried her tears with the back of her hand. "I hope that's okay."

He sighed and just tightened his hold on the odango-head. He had hoped deep down that some act of God would have interrupted them to keep Usagi from seeing that footage. But if she were to see it, he did not want to be in the room and possibly let her see him upset. Seiya closed his eyes to keep his tears in. "Of course it's fine. I'm sorry you had to see that audition. It's not a good listen for anyone…"

Usagi managed to giggle through her blubbering. "Don't apologize. I'm glad he told me."

"And why's that?"

"Because it just shows how human you really are after all, Seiya Kou." She looked up to rest her chin on his chest as she snickered, trying to lighten up the situation. Seiya took to it and tenderly smiled down at the golden-haired beauty who was just beaming in his arms. He was wishing at the moment that it would have been him, and not Yaten, to reveal to Usagi about his past but it was quickly eclipsed by a sudden desire. Her eyes showed him a look of compassion and concern; something that he had been looking for in someone for a long… long time.

Not being able to contain his emotions, Seiya stroked his hand onto Usagi's cheek to play with a stray golden tendril hanging in front of her ear. He observed her lowering her eyelids in pleasure, just from that delicate touch alone. Lightly, his fingertips brushed through her pulled-back hair and ended up behind her head. He gradually lowered his face to sweep his lips over hers just for a little tease. He could feel her hot breath on his mouth from heavy gasps she emitted, as she was trying to calm herself from this steamy situation.

Seiya went to plant his lips at full-force onto hers when a familiar kids' tune rang throughout the house, as well as Yaten's deafening guffaw, interrupting the heated moment.

"Oh… shit…" the raven-headed idol uttered.

A little perturbed and flustered, Usagi opened her eyes and swallowed back her arousal. "What?"

"He's watching my Barney episode." Seiya released his hold on Usagi and started frantically jogging toward the living room.

It took a few seconds for her to register the situation. "You were on Barney?"


	12. The Moment

_**Just because you are around me**_

The sounds of the morning rush hour would be deafening to any pedestrian on their way to work or school. But all Usagi could really hear was the sound of her own thoughts spinning through her head. The warm summer breeze would be a usual element of the season enjoyed by all, but the only thing the odango-head could really feel were the vibrations throughout the soles of her feet as she dragged them across the pavement while she walked. She would seldom take out her cell phone from her book bag to reread the text message sent by Minako late last night:

"**Meet me in the commons at 8"**

Usagi knew in the back of her mind why her blonde counterpart called for the meeting. As much as Minako was one to voice her opinions whether the occasion called for it or not, she was not one for conflict. Her "why-don't-we-all-just-get-along?" philosophy had acted as a bond and band-aid throughout many of their fights over the years. But now that a boy was thrown into the mix, these tiny altercations turned heated and more complicated, but hopefully they will not more frequent. Usagi had just wished that she would have texted Minako first since she was the one who blew a fuse and raised it to a level her friend had not intended.

The streetlight had turned green and the parade of stationary cars began to speed through the intersection. Usagi stopped by the curb to wait for the little man to light up across the street when she finally began to take in her surroundings. She realized she was right at the very intersection when she first ran into Seiya and ultimately first met him. The blonde smiled to herself remembering how flustered she was running late for school and did not even give him time to even speak. And then she ran off to leave him primitively nursed with her handkerchief. Even at first sight, she thought he was one of the most attractive boys she had ever seen. And fate had such a web to later weave their lives together in the most dramatic of ways unbeknownst to the two of them at the time.

Her stream of consciousness took her on a journey that stopped on her memory of yesterday when she visited the pop star's apartment and witnessed his past that he hid and repress for years. It showed her a side of him that she would have never thought to discover… and she liked it. She liked that she knew a secret that he did not trust with any other girl, or any other person besides Taiki and Yaten. Slowly but surely she was getting to know the true Seiya underneath the arrogant and womanizing exterior. If anyone were to be called an onion, it would be him.

Usagi hurriedly crossed the street, being in more a better mood than she was on the other side of it. But she was suddenly reminded of why she got up so early for school when she spotted Minako sitting by herself on bench next to the stoops. The odango-head did not really know why her stomach was in all knots and she was feeling anxious about apologizing. It was only Minako, her best friend since junior high; a person she could talk to about anything and anyone. She trusted her as much as she did her family… hell, Minako WAS family. Maybe it was because they were so close that she felt ten times as worse for yesterday's outburst.

She stopped on the other side of the bench where Minako was seated. "Hey, Mina…"

That bundle of thick flaxen hair tied back with a big red bow thrashed over her shoulder as she turned her head. "Hey." Minako gave a limp smile and stood to walk up to Usagi.

"Before you say anything…" the odango-head held her hand up to halt the possibility of Minako speaking first. "…I just wanted to say I'm sorry for getting so upset yesterday. I know you were only playing around and I got a little sensitive about it for some reason. But I know I was in the wrong and I'm sorry." She gave a little nod to end her short monologue.

Minako nodded. "Well, I'm also sorry that I made you upset. I didn't mean any harm by it. But…" she bit her lip as if it would somehow give her the courage to say the next sentence. "…That's not really why I wanted to talk to you this morning."

Usagi was thankful that the previous day's incident was past them, but now her curiosity was piqued—and not in a good way. What could possibly be so important that Minako had to ask her to meet her at school thirty minutes before the bell? "O… kay…?"

Looking all around the barely populated commons, Minako got the silent cue to step closer to her friend; her icy blue eyes held the emotion of a concerned mother. "I wanted to talk to you about Seiya."

The odango-head furrowed her brow. If it were normal Minako gossip trying to pry into their relationship, she would not be acting so secretive. She was taking a whole different angle with this and Usagi wanted to see where she was going.

"I saw you leave with him yesterday and I was wondering what you guys did…" Minako continued.

Usagi shrugged. "We just walked over to that new bakery a few blocks down and then we went to his apartment afterwards."

"His apartment? Really? What, uh… what did you do there?" Minako nodded and looked inquisitively into the odango-head's eyes.

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Mina, we didn't do anything. We just watched movies for a few hours and then I went home… a virgin. What's this all about?"

Yesterday's conversation between her, Ami and Makoto replayed through Minako's thoughts. She had hoped she was doing the right thing. "I just want you to be careful around him, that's all."

Usagi scoffed. "What the hell? You guys pressure me into dating him and now you're telling me to be careful?"

"It's not like that," Minako exclaimed to calm her angered companion, "I admit, we were all gung-ho about the prospect of our best friend dating a celebrity. But it was just all talk and we didn't think it would actually happen because we thought you couldn't stand him and didn't like him that way. Seiya's a great guy and fun to be around but you know what he's like…"

She kept shaking her head and let her golden tendrils lightly hit her face. "Not you too…"

"Please, Usagi, I'm not telling you to completely cut him out of your life." Minako put her hand on Usagi's shoulder. "Date him if you want, that's fine, whatever makes you happy. But I just want you to keep in mind that he doesn't have a very good track record."

Usagi inhaled deeply to calm her wits. "So why now? You were all squeals and giggles when we made out that night. Why all of a sudden is it not smart to be with him anymore?"

"Because you're falling for him, if not fallen already." The red-bowed blonde surprised even herself with how effortlessly that statement escaped her mouth.

She gulped as a gust of wind blew against the two Tenth Street students, rustling the leaves around them; it was the only thing heard while the girls shared a silence. For as long as she could, Usagi darted her gaze into every direction but Minako's. Was it too late to deny? But why would she want to? Her best friend could always read her like a book. And apparently she was a bad liar since her red cheeks would give her away.

But was it really love? Usagi admitted inwardly that she would not bat an eyelash if she were given the chance to say that she loved him… as a person. But had she already gotten to that point of being IN love? Would thinking about someone all the time, wanting to be with them constantly and getting excited every time you talk to them be considered being in love? Usagi could not find it inside her to rebuff what Minako had observed. Maybe she was right…

"So what…?" Usagi defiantly asked. "I'm not made of stone."

"I'm not saying you are or should be. But I don't want you to get too deep or give too much into anything only for Seiya not to return the favor. Guys who are like him… they don't want to settle down; they don't know what love is. Have you already forgotten about what happened a couple of weeks ago at that club? I don't know about YOU, but it raised a red flag with ME. It showed me that he's impulsive… and brash. I'm afraid of you wasting your emotions on someone who won't return them."

She wanted so badly to tell her, 'it's okay, that womanizing factor is just a façade, he was actually emotionally abused and abandoned as a child,' and end this conversation completely. Minako just did not understand and Usagi had to understand that. All that Seiya chose to show people was this pompous, persnickety Casanova and that was all they could make their judgments on. The odango-head had to calm that fire brewing in her heart and try to see it from Minako's perspective. She was just looking out for her, being a good friend. And Usagi certainly did not want to create another rift in their friendship so soon after they mended the last one.

"Mina, I'll be okay. I promise. I think you're wrong about him. I feel that I'm not wasting anything with him. He's my friend and I love him… I believe that everything will be fine with Seiya. I understand what you're doing and I appreciate it. But I promise that it'll all be okay. I'll be careful." Usagi smiled.

Minako did not wish for Usagi to completely cut ties with the idol. What she really was trying to accomplish was to simply give caution to her best friend. She was glad that Usagi was being as considerate as she was. She had already heard the talk from Mamoru and Minako was afraid she was already plugging her ears once Seiya's name was mentioned. Returning the smile, Minako slowly took the odango-head in a tight hug.

"Now don't get me wrong, I like Seiya," she chirped in Usagi's ear, "He's a nice guy but with a few flaws."

Usagi chuckled and pulled back from the embrace. "We all have our flaws."

"Oh, I'm flawless! I don't know what you're talking about with this whole, 'we all' thing." Minako bit her tongue and winked.

Throwing her head back in laughter, Usagi gave Minako a slight push as they began to make their way up the stairs.

* * *

The two girls were the first people to arrive to class and reverted back to their usual mindless chatter that made up the normal before-the-bell conversation. As time got closer for school to start, more students began filtering in and soon Usagi's stomach began to feel the effects of a forgotten meal.

"Damn, Usagi, even I felt that one…" Minako jested.

Usagi doubled over after feeling the loud and vicious hunger pang that reverberated throughout her stomach. "Oh man, I haven't felt hungry in a while and it doesn't feel good." She began to go pale in the face.

"Doesn't your mom usually make your breakfast?"

"Not this morning. My parents went to my dad's office party last night and momma was too hung over to even wake up."

After a loud guffaw, Minako slapped her desk. "God, I love your mom! She needs to write a book."

"Oh please, don't encourage her." Usagi rolled her eyes, temporarily feeling relief from hunger.

"I can see it now, 'cool mother's cocktail to awesomeness: one part nurture, one part nature and three parts vodka'!" Minako looked off in the distance as she rattled off Usagi's mother's hypothetical how-to book's title.

Soon after the girls shared a burst of hilarity, Seiya, Taiki and Yaten's fresh faces walked through the door and into the room. Immediately, Seiya's face beamed at the sight of the laughing odango-head. She returned the gesture.

"Morning, Odango. You're here early." Seiya grinned as he approached Usagi's desk. Yaten followed to advance on another certain blonde beauty. Yaten silently greeted the red-bowed girl by taking her hand and kissing the back of it, situating himself to sit on the edge of her desk as he began talking with her.

Usagi's light blue eyes glanced upward as she smirked. Just as she was about to respond to the Light, another twinge of hunger erupted in her stomach and emitted a loud gurgling noise for all who was close enough to hear. Seiya sniggered watching the blonde blush and wince at the same time with a look hoping that no one heard that.

"Hungry?"

"Eh, a little…" she could not help her left eye twitching a bit after picking up on a certain delicious scent. She sniffed the air and deducted that the smell was coming from Seiya. "What's that smell?"

"What smell?" the idol looked at Usagi curiously.

"There's a… a smell… coming from you…" she kept her nose in the air and in use. She straightened up in her chair and positioned herself on her knees. As she got higher, the smell became stronger. This act made her quite the masochist since it was arousing her hunger aches once again.

Seiya was very amused at the display Usagi was putting on, but he decided to press on with matters. "So, Odango, are you busy at all tomorrow night?"

"Um…" multi-tasking was not an easy thing for the odango-head; trying to sniff out a delicious scent and answer Seiya's question had to happen at different times. If Seiya did not know what smell she was talking about, she might as well give up and wait until the switching period to sneak a snack from her bento box. "I don't know. Why?"

"Well we leave Monday morning for Hawaii and we were throwing a little shindig at our apartment as a little going-away thing. I want you to come."

"To Hawaii?" Usagi lit up.

"Don't I wish?" Seiya chuckled as he grabbed for the end of Usagi's long blonde pigtail and brushed the ends on her nose. "But I'm afraid I won't be able to pay as much attention to you as I want while we're there or that you would distract me from my work and be fully responsible for the failure of the Three Lights." He followed that statement with a wink. "Why don't you come to our party instead?"

Playfully, Usagi swiped her hair out of her face and out of Seiya's hand before pouting and resting her hands on her hips. "Come to one of your parties instead of Hawaii? I feel insulted you would even think I would accept that substitute."

The dark-headed Light mimicked the blonde as best he could. "So are you gonna come or not?"

She threw her nose in the air and shrugged. "I'll think about it…"

With a heavy sigh and a shake of the head, Seiya had to resort to plan b. He abruptly lifted the flap from his book bag and reached inside. Two seconds later he produced a breakfast sandwich wrapped in paper with a familiar logo of red and yellow in his hand. Usagi's eyes widened in excitement as her salivating glands kicked on with full power. A tiny gasp escaped from her hanging mouth.

"A funny thing happened today: the cashier at McDonald's gave us an extra sandwich." He turned it upside down and every which way. "I mean, I don't eat a big breakfast so there would be no reason to keep this around… Hell, I don't even know why I even saved it…"

"Um, Seiya…" Usagi nervously laughed and raised her hand for permission to speak as well as to volunteer herself. "I'll take that off your hands if you're not gonna eat it." Her eyes locked on the tasty target as if the sandwich would disappear if she did not.

"Hmm… it's about half hour old. I'm sure it's all cold and gross by now. I don't think you would want-"

"No, I do!" the odango-head began to grab for it, but Seiya would have the sandwich just out of her reach every time. At one point when she almost fell over and off her chair, she used Seiya's arm to support herself.

"You know, it's a sin to waste food." Usagi wryly reasoned.

Seiya could do nothing else but snort at such a statement. "You really think I have a problem with sinning?" He returned to his smiling once Usagi began to clamber up his appendage to retrieve the breakfast that he was not going to give it up so easily. He held it up high enough to still make it difficult for the blonde.

"You… want this old sandwich?"

Not bothering to give her answer verbally, Usagi just nodded her head vigorously and unsuccessfully clawed at the highly held packaged food.

He grinned playfully and cocked a brow. "Hmm, I don't think you do."

"No, no, I do, I do! Please, please, please!"

"Then will you come see me tomorrow night?"

"Yes, yes!"

"You promise?"

"Yessssssss, now gimme!"

He barely lowered his arm a few inches before Usagi fruitfully snatched the breakfast sandwich out of his hand.

* * *

The room had stillness to it. It was dark, save for the setting sun glowing through the open blinds that acted as dim illumination. Everything was in place, everything was clean. Usagi felt like she had practically walked off a space shuttle on a different planet since the contrast to her own room was huge. But was that not always the case with the parents' room? It had a certain smell—that parent smell of fresh sheets, candles and spotlessness. It reminded Usagi of all the times she played dress-up in her mom's old clothes all those years ago and how she would break into her mother's make-up when she would be left home alone while her parents went out for the night.

And now it was the jewelry's turn.

It was a certain ring that had been passed down for two generations so far. Word on the street was that Usagi would get it in about fifteen years or so. But when she first laid eyes on it at the age of twelve digging around in her mother's jewelry box as Ikuko got ready for a night out, the years could not come any slower for her to grow up. The odango-head dug around the chaotic box of trinkets until a pink shimmer caught her eye. Tiny diamonds surrounded a pink pearl in a swirling design that even crossed over the lustrous jewel in a platinum metal. It was no design reproduced for the last forty years and had that pure glamorous look to it. Usagi smiled at the memory of her mother telling of its background.

But then she realized she had a party to go to.

And so did Minako. Almost immediately after Usagi slipped the family heirloom on her finger, the red-bowed flaxen popped her head into the room.

"Usagi, what are you doing? We're gonna be late."

Usagi perked up with a bounce and a smile. "Coming!"

* * *

The two teenage blondes strode quickly down the hall soon after the elevator doors parted. Still being several doors away, they both could hear the faint noises suggestive of a party coming from the Three Lights' apartment. It was a sure sign that they both were fashionably late like they wanted, judging by how loud the chatter and music was already. Once they approached door number: 1023, Usagi and Minako faced each other to give one another a last opinion.

"How's the hair? Is it too big?"

"No, it's fine. How are my shoes? Too tall?"

"No, girl, you can never get too tall. Hold on, pull this up, you don't wanna look too hoochie."

"Oh thanks, I'm gonna have to look out for that for the rest of the night."

"Unless Seiya takes it off later…"

"Mina!" Usagi blushed generously.

"Sorry… you look cute, though!"

"You too. Ready?"

The blondes nodded to each other and turned toward the door. Minako held up her fist to knock loudly.

A few seconds later, the door opened to expose a well-attired Yaten. He held a half-full drink in his left hand and wore a fitted pink dress shirt tucked into navy slacks. He grinned at the two girls. "Hello ladies. Glad you could make it."

"Oh, Yaten, you wore the shirt. It looks so good!" Minako squealed and threw herself on her green-eyed boy.

As Minako and Yaten were distracted in their tangle, Usagi looked all around the crowded apartment to spot a certain dark-haired musician she could perhaps get in a tangle with. But the variations in the people and their hair color were of no help in her search. Even standing on her tiptoes (in already four inch heels) just gave her a better look at the tops of everyone's heads. By now feeling a bit agitated that Seiya was not around to immediately greet her, Usagi turned back to the cuddly couple rubbing noses with each other.

"Yaten, where's Seiya?"

"Um…" the silver-haired Light looked away in thought before shrugging, "I don't know. He should be around."

The odango-head slowly nodded in understanding, but still more frustrated that Yaten did not exactly know of Seiya's whereabouts. "Oh…"

He caught onto her state of disheartenment and stepped closer to Usagi. "Hey, let's go to the kitchen and get a drink." Yaten put his hand on the blonde's back to lightly push her toward the kitchen and for him to surreptitiously crane his head to find Seiya without her knowing. He was just here a minute ago…

Forcing himself to brush it off, Yaten led the two girls into the kitchen and began the process of mixing fruity cocktails and alcoholic concoctions of whatever was in the fridge. Minako watched in wonderment at all the different kinds of alcohol he was pouring in one cup and Usagi was taking an interest in the granite countertop wondering about different matters. She hated how she started the night off feeling sorry for herself that Seiya-

"I knew I recognized that dress."

-was finally here.

Usagi whipped her head around at the comment. There stood a cool and calm Seiya with the same shirt and slacks combination as Yaten; though his shirt was a dark blue that made his sapphire eyes pop against his dark hair and pants. This display of fashion sense and suave demeanor was enough for the odango-head to completely forget about her two minutes of sadness and go weak in the knees. She assembled a smile.

"Well you should. You bought it." Usagi turned on her heel and leaned against the counter.

"Probably one of the best purchases of my life then," he drew near the drooling odango-head and took her in a tight hug. "Glad you could make it."

Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, Usagi took a whiff of Seiya's sweet-smelling cologne and rubbed her cheek against his soft, freshly shaven neck. She never imagined she would be at this stage with the idol: going from practically loathing his presence to practically loathing not being in his arms every second.

So at this point, she had to admit Minako was right. Why was she so excited being in such a reoccurring position with Seiya? She has hugged him before on many other occasions; but was it weird that she remembers the first time she took the Light in an embrace? Just being in this moment with Seiya cemented how much she loved him as more than a friend and person. She was so afraid to call it what it was thinking that she was too young or that Seiya would never be the one to hold her heart… or that possibly she would be ridiculed for caring so much for someone who gave the impression to not deserve it. But did he feel the same way?

He stepped back from the hug eyeing the odango-head up and down. "You look beautiful. Choko is too good."

"Thank you." She turned 360 degrees to twirl her skirt. "And you look nice too. I like that cologne you have on." Usagi's nervousness was started to speak for her.

"You like it? I decided to try something different. It's Tom Ford."

Usagi shrugged. "That egg mcmuffin smelled pretty good too…"

Seiya's shoulders shook with laughter. "Of course you would say that. The hitch is that it would only attract you, though."

She giggled to make Seiya think she appreciated the joke, but she might as well have been punched in the stomach. Was that really a bad thing that he would only attract her? She tried to not to let her herself start fretting about it so much. It was only a joke… right?

"Are you okay?"

Usagi snapped herself out of her thoughts. How long has she been like this? "Yeah, why?"

"You looked like you were thinking really hard about something."

Shaking her head, she replied, "No, no, I'm okay. Sorry about that."

Seiya accepted that answer and proceeded with his statement. "Hey listen, I just came by to say hi real quick. The director who is shooting our video in Hawaii is here and I gotta talk to him for a bit. Will you be okay by yourself?"

_Hey Seiya, why don't you just dump your drink over my head right now and get the whole party to throw rocks at me?_ Usagi felt embarrassed enough that she was becoming the butt of his emotionally-crippling jokes and an unimportant guest. He exerted so much energy into getting her to come to this thing only for him to see her for ten minutes out of the whole night. What the hell? Now Usagi was not so much sad, but disappointed… and angry. Was the honeymoon period already ending to where she was not so special anymore?

Fuck it. Whatever.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I got Mina and Yaten." She grinned as wide as she could. Maybe she was being selfish. Seiya had other friends and a career to handle and maybe Usagi was only just "a friend from school." She swallowed her anger and turned on her heel to head for the kitchen and to her awaiting drink.

* * *

Minako and Yaten watched Usagi throw back her drinks like a champ. A few rounds of king's cup showed them what stamina she had hiding under that good girl image. When the time came to play waterfall, she was not just putting her cup to her lips and pretending to drink when she in actually only took little sips; her throat could essentially be seen taking huge gulps of her fruity drinks. Even the short Light could tell something was off with Minako's best friend. The other odd thing was that Seiya was nowhere by her side when he would usually shadow her whenever she was around. With the filming of their music video being only two days away, the party was not necessarily for play, but for business… unfortunately for Usagi. Since Seiya was the most popular and talented of the band, he would be the one attending the meetings and making the majority of the negotiations. Yaten was just along for the ride. He knew his band mate had good intentions to hang out with Usagi but not even he expected for the director and producer to come in with last minute changes to their schedule.

Once again, she needed a refill and Usagi sloppily headed to the kitchen. Yaten took the moment to elbow Minako who was sitting beside him.

"Follow her. She doesn't look like she's feeling too well."

Minako, a little sauced herself, shrugged. "She looks like she's feeling fine to me."

"Have you been watching her lately?" Yaten exclaimed. "I've never seen a girl chug so fast. And who knows of the alcohol to mixer ratio of her drinks?"

"Who cares? Let her have her fun. I know she's pissed that Seiya's been MIA for the whole night after he bribed her with food to come but, you know, I don't want to bring it up after it looks like she's temporarily forgotten it at the moment. It'll just make it worse and on top of that, she's drunk." Minako rationalized.

"Well he's talking with people regarding our music video. He didn't know they would show up tonight."

"Are they all tall, dark and slender?" Minako sardonically asked as she pointed to a corner of the room where Seiya was conversing with another woman. Yaten looked in the direction only to shake his head.

"She's our set designer."

"Yeah, well, Usagi doesn't know that."

"That's what I mean! I just think we should be watching her so that she doesn't get sick or anything" Yaten reminded, hinting that he did not want to have to rush Usagi to the hospital to have her stomach pumped.

"Why are you so worried? You're not gonna be the one to console her as she cries her eyes out later.

Believe me, she'll talk about when she wants to." The red-bowed flaxen took another gulp of her drink.

"But you're so cute being all worried about her." She pinched a chunk of his cheek much to Yaten's dismay and annoyance.

When he turned away to swipe her hand away, he voiced an observation.

"Where's Usagi?"

* * *

When Usagi was gathering the ingredients to her next drink mixture, a feeling she had been fighting for almost the last hour finally took over and she decided she was finally time to do it: to break the seal.

She exited through the other side of the kitchen to the guest bathroom that was open to all the party visitors. As soon her hand was on the knob to turn it, she immediately realized it was locked to her frustration. Usagi sighed in vexation and pain. Knowing she could not hold it anymore, she remembered the private bathroom in Seiya's room that connected to Yaten's room. It was more than likely off limits to the guests but this was an emergency and what was he going to do, kick her out? Usagi already had her own plans to peace out of the party pretty soon anyway.

She strode to the closed door of Seiya's room and prayed internally that it was not locked. And thankfully the gods were looking out for her tonight because the knob turned completely. She raced into his room that was dimly lit with a lamp on the first setting and plowed through the bathroom door to finally relieve herself, making as much noise as possible as she did so. Summer times and four-inch heels do not mix well.

With a sigh, Usagi had never felt a relief like this one. She lowered her dress and slightly stumbled to the sink to wash her hands. Hating the feeling of getting water under her ring, she slipped off her familial piece of history and placed it on the vanity before turning on the faucet. In the process of washing her hands, she took a look at herself in the mirror. She felt hot and looked like it; her cheeks were heavily flushed. She fixed her smeared eyeliner and smoothed down her hair as if she were to go back out there for another few hours to party. In her inebriated state, she realized that she did not have to put up with this, nor wanted to.

He had not come back from talking with his "director" for a while and when she finally looked up from the game after a couple of hours, there he was talking to some other woman. It was something she was warned about, it was something everyone else in the world would expect, but she chose to keep her narrow-minded thoughts about him and it came back around to bite her in the ass. But why was she so upset? He did not ask her to love him and it was never as if they dated or were together. They just had that one night of fooling around and that was it. And here she was acting like some jealous ex-girlfriend. No other successful moves have been made to further their relationship and she now had to take the hint. She was no celebrity, no socialite… she did not belong here. Maybe Seiya was trying to be nice to invite her in, but she just did not belong… Usagi might as well give up.

Trying her best to keep her balance, the odango-head made her way to Seiya's bed and sat on it as she looked up cab company numbers on her cell phone.

"Ah, it's you."

Usagi whipped her head around to see Seiya standing in the open doorway. He had a huge smile on his face and stepped in before closing the door. She showed a courtesy smile and turned back around to her task. "Sorry I'm in here. I'm just clearing my head a bit."

He sat himself beside her before responding. "Don't worry about it. You can come in here anytime," he winked but was troubled that Usagi was more interested in her phone than him. He needed a recovery. "But a lot of people showed up tonight. It can get a bit stuffy in there." Seiya then reached over and stroked her thigh above her knee. "Are you having fun?"

The blonde's light blue eyes darted to his hand. Instantly her heart started racing at his touch. But no… not tonight, she was in no mood. She was not just going to let him win and come to her whenever HE pleased.

"Yeah, y'know, just hanging out with Mina and Yaten," She replied and put her cell phone to her ear.

That action baffled Seiya as he blinked his eyes in bewilderment. "Who are you calling?"

"A cab." Usagi spat.

"Why?"

Why was he asking such stupid questions? "Because I want to leave," she merely answered while shrugging her shoulders.

"Wait, hold on," Seiya grabbed at the device but Usagi turned her head away to keep it from his reach. "Why do you want to leave?"

"Because I'm tired of being here, that's why-Hi, I need be picked up from The Tower on 15th-" The operator answering on the other line was distraction enough to Usagi for Seiya to effectively snatch the cell phone out of her hand.

"What are you doing? Give that back!" The blonde raised her voice.

"Odango, please don't leave, okay? I'm sorry. Did something happen while I was gone? I didn't intend to be away for that long but there have just been a bunch of last-minute changes to our trip." All the while saying that, his hand holding the cell phone was swiftly evading every grasping attempt Usagi made.

"Well you should've thought about that before you fucking begged me to come here!"

"But I still wanted to see you before I left…"

"For a good ten minutes out of the whole night! Wow, you're so thoughtful!" At yet another failed endeavor to retrieve her phone, her balance had left her for dead as Usagi practically fell over on top of Seiya. The idol, being tired of playing keep away while trying to reason with her, chucked the phone across the room for it to loudly hit the wall and crash on the floor.

It was as if he had thrown a live infant over a bridge. Usagi's jaw dropped. "What the hell? That was my phone!" She tried to push herself off the Light to check the condition of her phone when Seiya suddenly stopped her. He held her arms in a tight grip and stood up with the incensed girl to better hold her back.

"Let go of me!" Usagi kept yelling.

"Don't worry about it. I'll get you another one!" He argued.

"Don't think you can just buy your way out of this. I'll still be pissed at you one way or another." She thrashed around until Seiya's grip loosened and freed her arms. Though she did not make any attempts to run away. He was giving her those puppy dog eyes for some reason and it was weighing on her heart. Tears began to weld up in Usagi's eyes as the alcohol took effect on her heightened emotions.

"Why are you acting this way?" The musician pleaded.

"You're the one that started grabbing for my phone and threw it across the room. I was fine until you came in here."

"Why do you want to leave then?"

"Because you left me alone all night," Usagi snapped. "I came here for you! I came here to see you and you just disappear. And you BEGGED me to come only to just put me in a corner. I don't know anyone, I can't relate to these people. All I have are Mina and Yaten and they're always busy playing doctor while I'm sitting there by myself wondering where you are and why I'm still here. You should have just told me you were busy and saved me the trouble of waiting around." She said that last sentence with absolute disdain.

He stressfully ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Odango… I'm sorry. I thought I was going to be able to see you and only talk to the director for ten minutes. The label suddenly decided to put a lot more money into the video and we just found out this morning. I didn't think that we would be discussing it right now but we only have two days."

"Well congratulations. I hope you have fun over there. Just do me a favor next time and don't invite me to any of your stupid parties." Abruptly she began stomping her way around him and the bed, toward the door. Seiya looked at her curiously as his head followed her.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm still leaving. I'll just use the front desk's phone to call the cab."

"Odango, don't, please just stay…" He leapt from his position and strode to catch up with Usagi. Just as she was opening the bedroom door to make her exit, he fell on it to make it close again.

"Seiya, move!" Usagi aggressively shoved the raven-haired boy to get him away from the door and because she was simply agitated he was being difficult.

He stood there and took her violent actions and glared at her with an equal annoyance. "No."

She growled, "God you can be such an asshole!" She began resuming to her brutal pushes when Seiya took a tight hold of her wrists to keep her at bay. But Usagi was not going to give up so easily. She thrashed her body around and used all her might to try to pull her arms from the shackles that were Seiya's hands. But he was just too strong. Though the blonde was too thickheaded to realize that and kept on her persistence in resisting. It was amazing she was not slipping around or falling in her drunken state in her strappy high-heels.

"Can't you just take no for an answer for once?" She heaved. Soon after her plea, Seiya slammed her back into the door… and it finally shut her up and calmed her down. Usagi stood there dumbfounded and speechless that… he would… do that. It was so hard and forceful that the bones in her back that made contact with the strong piece of wood instantly began to ache from the impact. Her wrists were held tightly to her shoulders since she locked her arms in front of her before Seiya made the push. He held them firmly against her while he stared deep into Usagi's angry and fearful eyes. For some reason, she was getting excited and began to breathe heavily out of her mouth from the moment and from her struggle.

"No." He answered before taking over her mouth with his own.

She went with her first instincts and immediately returned the kiss. Seiya seemed to be just as riled up as her and Usagi was having a hard time trying to keep up with him at first. He bit and sucked hungrily at her lips before he intruded into her mouth with his tongue, running it along her the inside of her lips and over her own tongue. The kiss was aggressive, vehement, painful, passionate… as if these two had been starved for weeks before they were allowed a treat; and they were not waiting to savor anything. Seiya loosened his grip on Usagi's wrists and began to take it out on her upper arms with tight squeezes and aggressive massaging as he continued to suck fervently at her mouth. Usagi took a hold of each side of his half-open shirt with both hands and pulled him closer to her. She would wince every now and then if Seiya grabbed too hard or pinched a sensitive place on her arm, but she was too caught up to complain or stop him at all. It hurt so good…

Pretty soon he abandoned his soft torment and began to trace the contours of her body. His roaming hands ventured down her waist and onto her hips. While one decided to rest where it stopped, the other fell further down to play with the trim of her dress. Lightly, Seiya's fingertips brushed against her exposed thigh, almost tickling the blonde in the process. It instead sent chills all throughout her body and she barely shuddered from the feeling. She moved her own hands from his shirt to behind his head and buried them in the raven forest that was his hair, silently telling him to press on. His body pushed into her and harder against the door; Usagi felt like a tinge more of strength would have knocked the door in. She moaned into his mouth at the force but was soon baffled when the Light pulled back from the kiss.

His hand that still rested on her hip reached over to lock the bedroom door. After that was done, he stared into her eyes and squeezed both thighs. Picking her up, her legs now tightly wrapped around his waist. He swiftly turned around and took a few steps before falling on top of her on the bed. But before they would carry on, Seiya supported himself on his hands and took in his position.

Her hair spilled around her like a golden waterfall and her revealing chest heaved up in down her in arousal. She glowed against the shine of the city lights from outside his window, looking almost like an angel lying under him. Seiya must have taken his sweet time because Usagi voiced her impatience.

"What?" she breathed.

The pop star smiled and shook his head. "Nothing. You just look beautiful."

She giggled softly and sat up on her elbows to face him. "You always look beautiful," she groaned and took the initiative to resume their make out session. With one arm she stabilized herself and with her other hand, began to slowly undo Seiya's shirt. As she did so, she let the back of her fingers brush against the smooth, hard ripples of his chest and stomach; the feeling of his toned body alone heightening her excitement. And she squeezed Seiya's waist with her thighs to show it. Being that his shirt was untucked, her fingertips instantaneously found his belt buckle once it was fully unbuttoned. For a while, she let herself trace the cold metal rectangular shape and deviously fiddled with the leather of the accessory. When she found the place where the hook went into the belt hole, she slid her finger inside and pulled the flap from the loops.

He waited until she unbuckled his belt completely before he pulled back from kissing Usagi. He would either be considered stupid or a saint for this.

"Odango…" he exhaled, "I don't think you're ready…"

She lied back down on the bed between his arms and cocked her head. "What makes you say that?"

It was so hard for him to do this… so, so hard. And it was a rare moment when he would resist. But the taste of alcohol on her tongue made him weary. He wanted to be careful with her, he did not want to take advantage of her and he did not want to scare her off… not when he just realized that he loved her…

"You've had a lot to drink. And…" Seiya paused.

Usagi was not taking him seriously. She giggled impishly and playfully and soon began to finger the waistline of his pants. She bit her lip. "And what, I'm a virgin?"

He sighed and looked down. "I don't want you to regret it…"

"Why do you think I'm going to regret it? I'm with you…" Once again, she sat up to have her face inches within his. "I want it to be you." She tried to read his expression but her mind was already in a whirlwind from the alcohol as well as their current heated circumstance.

God, why was she making this so difficult? Three protests ago, he would have taken her without question if she were any other girl. What was making it even harder was that he had not had sex in a few weeks—a marathon for guys like him. But she was special and wanted IT to be special.

"I just… don't want you to regret losing it because you were drunk-"

"I'm not that drunk…" Usagi protested. "I promise." She tightened the hold of her thighs on his waist and pushed her hips into his, making Seiya produce a guttural groan from the bottom of his throat. She felt a constricted stiff erection from under his pants and knew instantly that he had lost the battle before he even began.

"I want it to be you," she repeated before planting wet kisses on his neck.

Seiya lost the will to fight on and switched his thinking to his second head as he helped Usagi unbutton his pants.

"Heyyy, Yaten…"

"Hmm?"

"Where do you think Usagi went?"

He shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe she found Seiya."

"Hmm, yeah, those two are cute together. Do you think they're cute together?"

Wrinkling his nose, he responded with, "I don't know… I guess."

The couple that remained outside where the party was sat by themselves on the loveseat couch; both had slowed in their alcohol consumption and were fading… fast. Minako rested her head on the plush headrest, as did Yaten.

"And to think Usagi used to not be able to stand him." The blonde chuckled.

"She was one of the smart ones. She saw him for who he really was and why he was really talking to her."

Minako, who had her eyes closed about to pass out, jolted them open and raised her head to stare at the short Light. "What…?"

Yaten snorted, unaware of Minako's sudden stirring. "I'm sure this is no news to you but Seiya pursued Usagi all that time just to get into her pants. It was funny as hell to see him get rejected the whole time." Just having a blast by himself, he took a swig from his beer. "But he never intended on actually falling for her in the process. I guess it is true that assholes can learn to love."

After realizing for a while that he could only hear his own laughing, Yaten turned his head to find Minako gone.


	13. The Mistake

_**I have only one wish**_

She stirred slightly when she was aware of the late morning sun blazing its rays through the open-blinded glass sliding door. She squinted her eyes a bit tighter, but she could still see a glow through her closed eyelids. Just like she would usually do when light stood in her way to more sleep, Usagi rolled over to have her back toward the sun and carried on in her effort to fall back into her alcohol-induced slumber. Though, she was still feeling a bit toasty and stretched her leg out to get a feel of the cool side of the bed…

Only, there was a person in her way.

That was the magical elixir to wake her up. Usagi's light blue eyes shot open while her body sat up to observe another sleeping person beside her. She slowly studied it: black hair, light skin, definitely a man…

And the memories of the last night fell on her like a ton of bricks.

Oh God.

On instinct, Usagi grabbed the comforter and tightly wrapped it around her body so that she was merely a head sticking up from a pile of cloth. Although in her action of covering up, the bed sheets caught in the twisted comforter and thus revealed more of Seiya's bare body to the point that the blonde could see the beginning of where his happy trail ultimately led to. She blushed at the thought of his nakedness… or maybe his half nakedness… or… is he… naked?

It was funny how one could remember everything and yet the memories can still be somewhat blurry. Sure Usagi could recall the anger, the alcohol, the kissing, the touching… the pain and the pleasure… but she could not, for the life of her, remember what his penis looked like; for she was way too busy to get a good look at it. But now that he is asleep…

And yet, why is she so concerned with seeing his penis? It is just a penis! She has heard it was quite the sight, but not in a good way. And who is to say she would not see it again…

Oh fuck, Usagi, get out of bed! Completely flustered and possibly titillated, the odango-head tore out of bed with the intention of hunting for her clothes and getting the hell out of Dodge. Who knows how many times her mother has called her; and all thanks to Seiya playing darts with her phone, she will not find out until she gets home. But in her frenzy, she forgot she had made a tight cocoon of Seiya's red silk comforter and her clumsiness and the alcohol had caught up with her. With a loud thud, she cushioned the fall with her face and let out a something similar to a squawk.

No one will really know what woke Seiya up—Usagi falling or the sound she made when she did—but he sat up slowly to the fuzzy sight of his growling red comforter bobbing up and down from the floor.

"What are you doing?" Seiya hazily asked, cocking an eyebrow at what he was seeing.

She froze and almost cringed at his voice. Was she really that loud?

"Eh… morning, Seiya…" She nervously laughed and waited a few seconds to work up to courage to look at her bed partner.

Seiya blinked his dark blues to focus as he raised himself up higher on the bed with his hands. Cocking his head, he asked, "Are you trying to leave?"

"Uhhh…" she dry swallowed a fat pill of about a thousands lies she was tempted to tell him, which prompted more nervous laughter. "I uh… don't want my parents to worry."

Usagi watched his raven head turn away toward his nightstand and then turn back half a second later to her. "It's seven-thirty."

Right. It might have helped had she checked the time… but seeing Seiya's what-could-be naked body just threw her off in all kinds of ways. The odango-head straightened up her posture and smiled at him. "Oh… that's early."

Returning the smile and now more awake, Seiya began scooting himself to the other side of the bed toward Usagi. "Why are you all covered up? You look like you're in quite a tangle."

She watched him slowly slide his way toward her, his lower half perfectly covered by the remaining bed sheets the whole time he slid over the bed. It was only until he touched his feet to the ground and his naked hip peeked out from silk layer that Usagi realized...

He IS naked.

The blonde freaked. "Oh whoa, whoa, what are you doing?" She outstretched her hand to prevent Seiya from moving any further, and her face turned red.

Seiya shifted his eyes a few times in confusion before answering. "I'm going to try to help you out of that." He pointed to the twisted red mess around her.

"No, no… no, no, no… You just stay there…" Usagi began to search around the floor for her shed clothes—or rather MISSING clothes since she could not find any trace of them—to get her mind off of the naked Seiya. "I'll… uh… do this myself… after… uh… I-"

"Why are you so shy all of a sudden?" The Light cut off the muddled blonde, a mischievous smile now gracing his face rather than confusion.

"Eh, shy…? Why do you ask?" Usagi tried to sound compelling but was a little apprehensive of the stare he was giving her.

"Because you weren't so shy last night-"

"Ahhhh! Seiya, stop!" She did not know what to do but wail to prevent him from solidifying those blurry memories of her secret aggressiveness. She did remember, however, that it was her that pushed for them to sleep together. Usagi covered her eyes with her hand in hopes of disappearing possibly. It was not that she regretted anything that happened in Seiya's bed but sex was never something up for discussion in her eighteen years of life until last night; she was a little self-conscious about it to say the least now that the alcohol had left her system.

"Why are you acting so funny? Are you starting to regret last night?" He sounded reasonably hurt.

"No, it's just-" Usagi dropped her hand from her eyes to respond to the musician when she was met with a face full of naked Seiya… and there was his penis. She clamed up, could not blink, could not breathe, could not talk and could not take her eyes away from it. Wow, is that really what it looks like-no! How awkward! She closed her eyes and looked away to try to think of other things (penis).

"It's just…" she tried to continue (penis), "I'm uh," (penis), "I'm… feeling a little…" (penis, penis), "I feel…" (PENIS).

(Penis, penis!)

She gave up on talking when she felt Seiya's hand cup her chin and she looked up toward him… at his eyes this time. Usagi opened hers to him smiling down at her. And she was somehow calmed.

"You're so cute when you're all flustered. You know that?"

The blonde giggled. "No."

Seiya tugged at the comforter to expose her neck and began to lightly plant kisses on it. "I'll tell you as many times as I need to."

This would take some getting used to but Usagi felt it would not take very long to do so. It was only just several hours ago when she would get excited about a simple hug. And now the Light is nonchalantly strutting around in his birthday suit and kissing her neck as if they have been doing so for years—as if they were lovers. It was quite a blissful epiphany. Usagi only closed her eyes and gratifyingly sighed at the feeling of Seiya's soft lips lightly sucking at her skin. She was too high up in the clouds to even feel the comforter magically loosen and fall slowly down her bare body.

"Well that finally calmed you down…" Seiya chortled softly in her ear. Though the odango-head felt the slight draftiness from the fallen silk, she cared more about the chills Seiya was giving her with his kisses and whispers. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she felt his wrap around her waist.

"I'm sorry I'm being a little weird," she laughed.

Seiya pressed his forehead against Usagi's. "Don't be sorry; like I said, you're cute when you are." He suddenly started the fall back and fell on the bed with Usagi on top of him. The two could hear a loud thud as they collided with the mattress.

"So are you up for round two?" the black-haired teenager grinned enthusiastically.

"You've been up for round two since you've gotten up." Usagi sardonically responded and pointed to his stiffness with her eyes.

He looked up in thought. "Well, it is the morning…"

"Oh," Usagi shifted a bit to feel his morning habit on her inner hip, "So this happens every morning?"

And all that Seiya could think to do was to throw his head back and cackle, which in turn made the odango-head feel a bit embarrassed and possibly too naïve for a person her age.

"Did you never pay attention in sex ed.?" Seiya asked as he calmed down from his laughter to a glaring Usagi.

She opened her mouth to chide her bed partner when both heard a knock at Seiya's bedroom door and a meek and tired Minako.

"Usagi? Are you awake?"

Seiya started shaking his head vehemently to plead with Usagi not to answer and lead her on that they were still asleep. The blonde closed her mouth and smirked impishly, obeying the Light's silent request.

Minako persisted in her knocking and talking. "Usagi, your mom just called me. I think we need to go."

Usagi's emotion altered into shock and possible horror. "Shit!" she harshly whispered to Seiya. After a heavy sigh of defeat, she then raised her voice to answer Minako on the other side of the door. "Okay, just give me a second!"

* * *

Minako grabbed a hold of the stainless steel pole to keep from falling over as the bus swerved to miss a pothole in the road. Though the stainless extremity did not keep her from slightly bumping into Usagi.

"Jesus, this is the worst bus ride ever!" the odango-head exclaimed to her blonde counterpart as she held on for dear life on another steel post on the other side of the walkway. "Why didn't you let Roger take us home?"

The red-bowed flaxen kept her gaze at the ground and kept it solemn. "I just didn't want to give them the impression we use them for their stuff…"

Usagi scoffed. "Mina, what are you talking about? They are happy to do it. And I think we can stop with the formalities with them. They're our friends!" She had to giggle at that last statement, though. "Well, you know what I mean…"

Minako wished she did not know what Usagi meant. She squinted her eyes shut tightly as she let Yaten's statement repeat in her head. It had done so for hours to the point of it being a total buzz kill and had kept her sick most of the night. She tried to stop it… she tried to be the heroine, big sister and best friend all in one last night. But it was too late. When she went to open Seiya's bedroom door, it was locked. She remembered having difficulty breathing and her heart intensely rapping against her chest. She thought about trying to get Yaten to knock down the door or maybe even throwing a chair against it. But what was she thinking? The bathroom! Quickly but quietly she padded into Yaten's room and through the shared lavatory…

As much as she tried to repress, Minako could still remember the sounds coming from Seiya's room. She did not know if they had gone all the way yet or if still in foreplay, but she did not want to stick around to find out; so she padded right back out feeling utterly crushed and ten times worse.

And now… it was going to hurt worse when Minako would tell Usagi exactly what Yaten spilled. She had to tell her; it came with the role of being the best friend. What kind of person would she be if she kept to herself the fact that Seiya was still a pompous, womanizing asshole that Usagi loathed the sight of a few months ago,

And that it was she that was going to be the next notch under his belt?

"Mina, are you okay?" Usagi touched her friend's arm and lightly shook her from her trance.

The red-bowed girl took a heavy breath, but still could not bring herself to look at Usagi. "Um, no…"

"What's wrong?"

She straightened up, cleared her throat, tightened her grip on the pole, looked her friend in the eye, opened her mouth and was ready to speak…

"I'm just worried." Oh great one; just beat around the bush even more, Minako.

With her hand still on her arm, Usagi nodded. "Okay, what about?"

She just had to waste her voice on that one statement and now she could not bring herself to say it. Now that Minako was taking a closer at Usagi, she could tell she seemed different… the good kind of different. Usagi had such a rocky history with Seiya the past few months that for it to lead up to this made her happier. It was plainly obvious to all those close to the odango-head that she did not have a great track record with men: first falling for a homosexual and now a womanizing teen idol. Maybe it was wrong of Minako to lie about Ikuko calling her, maybe just for while she could let Usagi be happy…

Or maybe the best place to tell her was definitely not on a bus.

"Just that… um… I… uh," Oh C'MON! "Did you remember to go to the bathroom afterwards?" Ah, saved.

Usagi pursed her lips and turned the color of a beet as she leaned closer to Minako. "Mina! Not so loud." She darted her eyes to the left and right a few times before going on with her answer. "But yes, Seiya reminded me." Then it dawned on her what her friend was asking. "Wait, how did you know…?"

Minako shrugged and grinned. "Yaten's room IS right next to Seiya's."

Ugh… Usagi would now think twice about being romantic while under the influence; apparently she has the potential to be overtly confident and loud.

After a few more minutes of the turbulent bus ride, Usagi and Minako took their leave at the stop closest to the Tsukino home residence. Both girls sauntered carefully on the concrete due to them walking in their bare feet that were still aching from their heels, which they were carrying in their hands. Although the odango-head bared a little extra pep in her step and decided to play a game avoiding the cracks in the sidewalk.

It did not go unnoticed by the red-bowed blonde. "I've never seen you this energetic so early in the morning."

Usagi smiled and responded, "Maybe I should just wake up next to Seiya every day," as she hopped over another gap that separated the concrete slabs.

Minako starting gnawing on her nails while nodding and decided now would be as good as any to pry into her best friend's night; the street was uncannily quiet and deserted for a Sunday morning. "So, how was it? Was it everything you thought?"

"Yes and no," Usagi shrugged. "It was a bit scary at first since… well, it's such a big thing for something so small." She felt a little awkward trying to explain her recollection by using as few graphics as possible. "But after a while, after the pain went away, it was something kind of… magical. I don't know." The odango-head began laughing and blushed. "I feel so weird talking to you about this."

"It's okay." Minako reassured. "So you don't regret it?"

"God no! Something about it felt right. Like we were feeling the same emotions at the same time. He was gentle and," Usagi shimmied her shoulders before carrying on, "sexy at the right times. I felt like we were making love more than just having sex."

"Do you think he felt the same way?"

"I certainly hope so. I honestly had to talk him into it."

Minako raised her brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Usagi looked up at the sky and sighed, already feeling a bit uncomfortable talking about her sexual assertiveness to Minako. "We got in a little fight and, long story short, ended up making out and fooling around for a bit and it was me who started with the whole taking-off-the-clothes business. Once I got to his belt, he actually stopped me."

"That's… weird."

"Why's that?"

"I've never known a guy to turn down sex before," Minako shrugged and let herself chuckle.

"Well it didn't take too much convincing," Usagi bit her tongue mischievously. "But just the fact that he stopped me to make sure it was okay really showed that he cares."

The two teenage girls stopped in front of the Tsukino house and began to make their way through the gate. Usagi continued, slightly changing the subject.

"But all feelings aside, I can understand why people like to do it so much. Seiya can even do this thing with his to-"

"Usagi!" Minako could feel where the conversation was going and did not want to know anymore than she already did. For any other guy at any other time, she would share completely in Usagi's giddiness but she still has that secret thing eating at her. "Does it bother you that Seiya has… had SO much… practice?"

The odango-headed girl stopped walking while staring at Minako. "What?"

"Well…" Minako stopped with Usagi while she hanged onto her word for a few seconds until she could come up with a better explanation, "do you remember that stupid toothbrush theory when that crazy guy came and lectured us about safe sex a couple of years ago? Picture Seiya being that toothbrush, does it bother you that you just brushed your teeth with something that hundreds of other girls have put in their mouths?"

Usagi laughed while remembering that speech from first year. "Mina, I don't think it's hundreds."

"Does it matter?" The red-bowed teenager started to raise her voice, "I know you know it's a hell of a lot more than average for a guy his age."

"I know that he's slept around but I believe there's something deeper to him than just being a slut." Usagi defended as she recalled the memory of stumbling upon the DVD at the Three Lights' apartment chronicling the secret, painful childhood Seiya endured. She had to keep telling herself to be patient with Minako since she did not know the whole story. "I believe that I can help him change if I haven't already."

"Maybe. But what makes you think that you're the one?"

Usagi threw her head back completely appalled and began to play on the defensive. "Wow, Mina, that was harsh. You haven't gotten to know him like I have so you really have no room to talk."

"Yeah I don't know him very well since I'm one of the few girls in school who hasn't slept with him."

"Mina, I'm not having this talk with you again. You know where I stand. I love Seiya and nothing you say will change my mind about him and I will never take back what happened last night!"

Minako dropped her jaw. "Fuck, Usagi!" She turned around and began pacing back and forth for a few feet on the Tsukino lawn. "You love him."

The odango-head shrugged. "Again, we already talked about this. You even picked it up before I could admit it to myself."

"Yeah, but… hearing it is a lot more powerful than just picking up on it." Minako whined and stopped her pacing to face Usagi. She then began rubbing her face with her hands in disbelief.

Usagi rolled her eyes and thrust her hip out while folding her arms. "Why does it seem like you're so disgusted to hear that?"

"Because HE doesn't love YOU." Minako removed her hands to reveal her icy blue eyes.

Her once tightened body suddenly loosened as her face fell at Minako's comment. Sure Usagi never heard the words: "I love you" from the guy, but she swore he did not have to since their time together last night said it all.

"Why do you think that?" Usagi calmed her voice and looked at the ground.

"Yaten told me last night." Minako had also begun to compose herself and was now back to feeling pure sympathy for her best friend.

"Did he specifically say that Seiya didn't love me?"

"No, but… he didn't have to…" the bubbly red-bowed girl scratched her neck in her edginess.

"What did he say?"

"Word for word he said, 'Seiya pursued Usagi all that time just to get into her pants'."

Usagi gulped loudly and began to fiddle with her necklace, fighting the onset of tears. "Did he say anything else?"

"I think he joked about how funny it was to see you reject Seiya, I don't know. I didn't want to stick around to hear anything else he had to say about it. I ran to Seiya's room to get you but… it was locked."

Usagi tightened up her body and hugged herself as she suddenly felt violated and betrayed that replaced the feelings of love and completeness. She sniffled as she let a few tears escape down her cheeks. "Are you sure that's what he said? I know you had a lot to drink too and it was loud…"

Minako took the cue to take her friend in a hug. She let the odango-head cry on her shoulder as she too wrapped her arms around the red-bowed flaxen for comfort.

"I wish I was lying or that Yaten lied. I'm so sorry, Usagi."

"God, Mina… what possesses a person to do this?" the odango-head half-wailed into her friend's thick blonde hair. She let out a few sobs before continuing, "What do I do now after I gave myself to him?"

"You just do what he did to all the other girls and just ignore him from now on. No matter what, you hold your head high and move on."

Usagi pulled back from the hug and wiped her nose, giving Minako a tiny snigger to humor her. "What if he tries to talk to me or something?"

"Usagi, if Yaten's right, I don't think Seiya will be trying to talk to you anymore." Minako had no intention of trying to salt the wound any more than she already has but Usagi was already crying anyway.

Nodding, the odango-head wiped her nose again but suddenly froze up as sadness turned to shock as she became aware of a certain naked finger. "Shit! My mom's ring! I left it in his bathroom."

"That pink pearl ring from your grandmother? You wore it last night?" Minako exclaimed, sharing in her friend's horror.

"I need to go back." She insisted. "I have to. I'll be dead if momma finds it missing."

Minako nodded. "Okay. I'll go back with you. Let me just call Yaten to let the door guy know we're coming." She grabbed Usagi's limp wrist and began to almost drag her back through the gate to the bus stop.

After about half a minute on the phone, the red-bowed blonde scoffed and angrily hanged up. "Damn it, Yaten's not answering. He's probably jogging."

"Do you have another number?" Usagi asked.

"Yeah… hold on." Minako filed through her contacts and found the actual home phone number to the Lights' residence. She remembered landing it by bribing the hairstylist on the "Unrequited Love" music video set. But now that she was actually calling it for the first time since she received the number, she questioned whether it was their real number or not. Well, she guessed they would not know for sure until now.

"Shit!" Minako was going through the four-letter curse word vocabulary like a champ. "It's busy." She really did not know what to make of it.

"What do we do?"

"I guess hope that the doorman remembers you…"

* * *

What would usually take ten minutes on the red line took almost half an hour on the purple. The girls jumped on the first bus that picked them up that took them completely out of the way before circling back toward The Tower. And it only made Usagi's anxiousness worsen as she was still in disbelief of what Minako just told her. How could it be? She had never felt so adored or worshipped by one person until last night. How could he have said or done those things to rope her in for the kill? How could a person be so heartless? How could he just take her innocence like that and go on with his life?

"Usagi?"

The girls had gotten off the bus and walked that one block to the front entrance of the high-rise where the Three Lights lived. Minako had to shake her friend from her trancelike abstraction.

"We're here. Are you sure you don't want me to go in there with you?"

Usagi numbly shook her head. "It's okay. I'm gonna be in and out. Plus I'm sure I'm going to have a hard time with the doorman."

She gave Minako a limp smile and started on her way to the entrance and pushed through the swiveling doors. The lobby was eerily quiet and her heels clicked louder with each step as they echoed throughout the marble room. Though the doorman's near thundering voice succeeded in decibels once Usagi was in his sight and made her jump and freeze at the same time.

"Excuse me, miss. Can I help you?"

The blonde gulped and took a few more steps closer to him. "Um… yeah. I'm here to see Seiya Kou…" She did not recognize the doorman, of course. Naturally it had to be the day she needed to retrieve something important from Seiya that they would have a different guy on shift.

She watched him then grab a mouse and start clicking around while looking at a computer monitor. His face lit up in discovery. "Ah yes, Ms. Izumi Ma? He's been expecting you for some time."

Usagi's cornflower blues widened in astonishment at the name the doorman just called her. Already he had another woman coming over? She bit her lip in attempt to hold some tears back. "Y-yeah… yeah."

"Okay," he pressed a button and nodded at Usagi. "Have a good day, miss."

She gave him a half-assed smile before striding to open a secondary door to the elevators before the doorman stopped pressing the button. She felt like collapsing at that moment while so many emotions piled internally in her body. Her stomach somersaulted a million times a minute while she could barely keep her hand steady to press the elevator button and keep herself from crying out. Just get it and go, Usagi…

Just get it and go.

After the longest elevator ride ever, she dragged her feet down the hallway she had been down only a few times before. As the numbers on the doors counted down and she kept walking, her heart beat faster and her throat became more constricted. Just get it and go, just get it and go, just get it and go. More than likely, maybe the other girl would stay in the bedroom and Usagi would not even have to see her…? Or maybe the doorman got the guest lists mixed up with someone else that worked out conveniently for her. Maybe she was some kind of hairstylist or set designer or producer that visited Seiya at the last minute.

She knocked lightly on the door only to hear a muffled voice… a FEMALE muffled voice. It sounded like she said, "Seiya, there's someone at the door."

Maybe she is the maid or a newly hired assistant.

"Could you get it?" Came another muffled voice from the other side, this time sounding masculine… like Seiya.

Maybe she is really seeing Taiki and Seiya just called her name in. Maybe she is their travel agent solidifying all the plans.

After hearing a few thumps crescendo closer, the door opened and revealed a woman clad in boxer shorts and oversized tee shirt. She was absolutely stunning: tall, thin and had the shiniest auburn hair Usagi has ever seen. She had dark brown eyes that complemented her gorgeous alabaster skin that was displayed wonderfully on her legs due to the short boxer shorts. Usagi choked on her own breath and could not find the words or strength to speak.

"Hi!" the mystery girl, or maybe it was SHE who was Izumi, chirped. "Can I help you?"

Of course Seiya would have her over. By her looks alone and what she was wearing, maybe they just finished up or maybe she interrupted them and this was the fastest thing she could put on. With all veneration aside, Usagi could not help but feel her heart drop at the fact that barely two hours went by and Seiya already had another woman over. She squint her eyes shut and repeated her motto in her head: just get it and go.

Closing her eyes was the key to her discovery. Once she opened them back up again, a certain twinkle caught the blonde's eye and took her gaze over to Izumi's hand that rested on the doorframe. On her gorgeous, thin finger was her mother's ring.

Admiration turned to anger.

She wasted no more time. "Excuse me, but that's mine." Usagi snapped while pointing out the jewelry piece.

Izumi stepped back, seeming almost flabbergasted, and looked at her hand. She retracted it close to her chest before pointing to it. "This?"

"Yes, that ring is mine. May I have it back please?" Usagi kept up with the formalities with a severe hiss in her voice.

"Uh… okay, hold on. Why don't you come in? Seiya will be out in a minute…" Izumi became a little tense and smiled and laughed to cover it.

"All I want is the ring." Usagi held her stance and placed her palm out for easier access when Izumi would give her the damned ring back.

"Miss… I'm sorry, I don't know you and… this ring belongs to-"

"It belongs to me." The odango-head was getting ever impatient. "Listen, all I want is my ring. If you just give it to me, I'll leave you guys alone. Now hand it over or I'll take it off your finger myself."

Nothing in the world could have made her any madder. She had prepared herself for Seiya to be back to his old ways but for him to have let some random whore wear her mother's ring was absolutely repulsive and unforgivable. Usagi was done crying over him and now had the strong urge to punch him in the nuts.

Izumi gave up. She really was in no mood to have her ass kicked. This chick seemed capable of it since it looked like her head was about to explode by her cold glare and red face. And maybe this really was her ring. She outstretched her perfect hand and held it up to her chest.

"Okay, okay." She slipped off the ring and placed it in Usagi's palm.

"Thank you," and with a half-turn on her heel, she was back down the hallway—stomping this time.

Seiya finally emerged from the bathroom and into the living room when he saw Izumi standing in the middle of the front doorframe, with her head poked out of the apartment to peek down the hallway.

"Hey, who is it?" the musician asked, walking toward the door.

Izumi shrugged. "Is this the girl we were talking about?"

"What?" His face scrunched in bewilderment as he almost pushed Izumi aside to look out the door. Once he caught sight of those odangos, he gasped in excitement. "Odango?" he called out.

She kept her brisk walk down the hallway, ignoring his calls. Usagi turned the corner sharply to the right where the elevators doors were stationed.

Seiya stepped out from his apartment and started jogging toward her. "Odango? Odango, where are you going?" He took that same corner and discovered that she was nowhere to be found until a ding sound turned his gaze toward closing elevator doors about to transport the blonde girl downward. With a huge stride, the singer thrust his hands in between the doors in time for them to open back up.

By that time, Usagi had completely lost her composure. She pushed herself so far in the corner as much as she possibly could—basically trying to coalesce with it. With a flush face and streaming tears, she clutched her ring tightly in her fist and crossed her arms around her waist. Seiya furrowed his brow in worriment.

"Odango? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

His questions went unanswered while Usagi decided to keep sobbing. Seiya began to step inside the elevator when she finally decided to speak.

"Don't come near me." She demanded.

That stopped him dead in his tracks. Worriment now coupled awkwardly with confusion and he took a step back, obeying her wish. "What's the matter?"

Usagi wiped her tears from her cheeks to make room for new ones. "Just get away from me."

Seiya caught on that another woman answering the door in his boxers probably set her off a bit. She would probably laugh when she heard this. "Odango, why are-"

"I don't want to hear it. Just leave me alone." At least she was not being _physically_ violent this time.

"Listen, it's not what it looks like. If you would just let me explain…"

"Explain what? That you're still an asshole?"

Confusion was now dancing with agitation. "Okay, I think you need to calm down. You're really taking this out of hand…"

"You couldn't really even wait THREE hours before having someone else over? You're more disgusting than I thought a person could be. How could you just lead me on like that? I trusted you."

"Odango, just let me explain something…" Seiya tried to interject.

"I guess you didn't count on Yaten having a bigger conscious than you. He told Minako everything and she told me." Usagi cynically shook her head. "I never knew a guy to try so hard for sex. You held out for four months, you should get a fucking medal."

"What…? What are you talking about?" The raven-headed boy now began to plead with the blonde.

"No more. I'm not doing this with you anymore. I let myself care about you only for you to refuse to even find it within that empty heart of yours to even give a damn about me! I'm tired of trying so fucking hard and lying to myself." She wiped away more tears and sniffled before pressing on. "Why did you do this to me? I did nothing to you! In fact, I tried to avoid you for so long and you just kept on annoying me. I'm such a fucking idiot for believing you, for letting myself love you."

In the midst of Seiya's uneasiness, a feeling of warmth managed to cloak his whole heart. "You love me…?"

Too bad he just whispered it. Usagi was whimpering way too loud to even noticed that he said anything.

"The only good thing that ever came out of this was that I at least lost it to a celebrity." Her voice dropped to absolute disparagement.

He could find no words for a rebuttal or to defend himself after that. How could she say those things? He never knew she could be competent enough of such harshness. She was just fine this morning... Seiya could understand her mix-up with Izumi, but this other information she knew somehow made it a bigger deal than he could understand. It was such a big deal that she laid it on him straight and made it personal. It was as if she plunged a rusty knife into his heart.

And he figured for now, she was a lost cause.

Seiya quietly stepped back from between the doors and watched them slowly shut and Usagi slowly disappear.

* * *

"_Hello?" a tired female voice asked into the phone._

"_Wakey wakey! How are you?"_

"_Who… who is this…?"_

"_It's Seiya. You haven't forgotten about me already, did you?"_

"_Oh… what the- what do you want?"_

"_God you're cranky!"_

"_Have you ever met anyone with a hangover who WASN'T cranky? Ugh… but really, what is it?"_

"_I have a proposition for you. Are you still in business?"_

"_Seiya, you know I don't do that anymore…"_

"_The jewelry thing?"_

"_Oh… Oh you mean THAT." The woman on the other end laughed nervously. "Well of course, it's my livelihood."_

"_Awesome. I need you to come over. I have a tiny project for you."_

"_How tiny? And when?"_

"_Hmm… well it's just a ring I need something done on. It's missing a few jewels here and there and it needs a little shine. And I need you to come over like… now."_

"_What? Are you kidding? No way."_

"_Izumi, please! I really need this. Please…!" he whimpered over the phone._

"_Ugh, well I gave my driver the day off today."_

"_You know, there are these big-ass metal boxes they've put on wheels nowadays that can take you ALLLL over the city for a small fee."_

"_Don't make me mingle with humans!"_

"_I'll sing at your daughter's birthday party next month…"_

"…_Really?"_

"_Yeah sure. But you have to do this for me."_

"…_You promise?"_

"_Cross my heart."_

"_This chick better be worth it!"_

_

* * *

_

_Izumi swore she almost threw up a little in her mouth as she abrasively bumped into the girth of an overweight man because of the bus driver's amateur turning skills. She had trouble keeping her roller bag of supplies from falling all over the place and also had trouble keeping down her breakfast. She swore half of the population of Tokyo was crammed into this one bus and the smell was border lining on being a biological hazard._

_Here she was, Izumi Ma, B-actress turned jewelry designer who knew nothing of the blue-collar life and had lived in a world of chauffeurs. She had grown up in a celebrity family complete with the silver spoon and pony and an address book consisting of names that half the world knew of. But then a few bumps in life dealing with drugs and drinking and then popping out a kid along the way immensely deflated her head and soon made her lifelong hobby into an art and business. She liked the quiet life enough to almost become a hermit but with the exception of making a few appearances here and there at charity events and such. She was isolated to the point of each time she would go out in public, fewer people recognized her face._

_But this day, she did not want to be recognized; she rolled out of bed and slipped on a pair of designer sweats, tank top and flip-flops and lugged out her jewelry supplies case instead of her Kate Spade hobo. She grabbed the hugest sunglasses she owned and ran her fingers through her hair a few times before deciding she was decent enough to go out in public and visit Seiya._

_Their relationship together was still a young one, though sturdy to say the least. They met each other at an after party barely a year ago and both of them somehow clicked with each other. But being a thirty-two year old woman talking to a seventeen-year-old boy even made her apprehensive when she was with him in public. The whispers and suspicions were never really directed at her, but rather at Seiya for being known as such a promiscuous person. Somehow they developed a purely platonic relationship well enough to have lasted this long. He had never really asked any favors of her, and neither she with him, but if it were anyone she would do anything like this for, it would be Seiya. She in some way felt he held a painful secret behind those sapphire eyes but she never thought to ask… _

_Leaning on the stainless steel pole, Izumi's eyelids became extra heavy while she reflected to herself and let the motion of the bus—that was somewhat smooth at this point—lull her to sleep. She caught sight of a pre-pubescent teen jamming with his iPod on and happily carrying a hotdog as he stepped onto the bus and stood in front of her. She immediately thought about how delicious it looked and smelled and considered grabbing one herself when she was done with her task. _

_When the brace-faced kid took his first bite into the cradled sausage, it was like he shot off a gun of condiments; ketchup, mustard and relish came spewing out from all sides from within the hot dog and all over Izumi's tank top and sweats. She would have screamed had she not been in public. And the driver swerving the bus around, making her once again bounce into the portly gentleman, made it useless for her to do so._

_Finally the bus ride from hell came to an end and Izumi plowed her way in through the swiveling doors of The Tower with steam practically coming out of her ears. Every other second, she would let out something comparable to a growl or scoff because she just had to display these bright red, green AND yellow stains for the whole world to see. She came upon the lobby to notify the doorman of her presence when she saw him busy talking to someone else. Him and the other man were deeply conversing about something dealing with this guy's name not being on the list, or something… God, really? How long was this going to take? _

_Though the heavens opened up on her and she spotted someone exiting out of the secondary doors from her peripheral vision. She quickly darted her eyes back and forth from the slowly closing door to the occupied doorman and decided this was as good of a time as any to get through this morning faster. She shuffled her feet hurriedly and barely caught the glass door shutting and locking before slipping on through to the elevators without the doorman ever looking up._

_

* * *

_

_Seiya practically ran to the door to silence the loud and intense striking._

"_Fuck you and your fucking public transportation!" Izumi shrieked once she saw the musician. She tore off her glasses and stared him with red, swollen eyes as if her horrible bus ride was his entire fault._

"_Such a mouth you have." Seiya mocked. "Have a good ride?"  
_

_The brunette pointed out her lovely stains. "Look at what happened. I avoid a public bus for ten years and the first one I get on, my favorite sweats are ruined." She pushed past the Light with her roller bag rumbling behind her. _

_He began chuckling as he closed the door. "What happened?"_

"_Some stupid kid bit into his hotdog and shot mustard and ketchup everywhere! Wait, not everywhere… ON ME!" _

_Seiya kept on laughing. "Don't worry, your clothes are not ruined. I'm sure the stains will come out."_

_Izumi thrust her hand on her hip. "How do you know?"_

"_I haven't been immortal forever. My aunt used to put me to work before this." He winked, signaling the lavish apartment they were standing in. _

"_Really…?" Izumi had never done a load of laundry in her life and was not about to start today. As far as she was concerned, the ball was in her court for doing this favor for him. Light bulb! "So uh… do you have a washer and dryer here?"_

"_Yeah. I'm actually doing a load right now."_

_Izumi smiled sweetly at the teenage boy and gave him a wink. Automatically Seiya knew what she was hinting at and rolled his eyes in jest. _

"_Alright, fine. Let me go get some clothes for you to change into." He turned on his heel and disappeared into his bedroom while Izumi called out a, 'thank you' before she began to unpack her supplies on the dining room table._

_He emerged a couple of minutes later with a tee shirt and his boxers. "Here." He stated as he plopped them on the table. Izumi stared at his choice of clothing for a few moments before turning to him with a look of repulsion from her sitting position._

"_Boxers? Really?"_

"_I told you I was doing laundry!"_

_Izumi sighed and shook her head. "Okay, whatever. Anyway, where's the ring?"_

_Seiya reached into his shirt pocket and produced Usagi's forgotten pink pearl ring to hand it to the brunette. "Here you go."_

_She took the ring between her long fingers and studied it for a few seconds, turning it over every which way and positioning it to perfectly glisten in the light. "Wow… this is beautiful. I haven't seen anything like this in a while." Izumi's inner jewel nerd shined through in her excitement. "In fact, I don't think the world has even seen anything like this in the last sixty years…" _

"_Really. That's cool." Seiya shrugged, not understanding Izumi's animation since it just looked like a regular ring to him._

"_So… who is she?" the designer smiled playfully and elbowed Seiya's leg._

_He let himself blush before answering. "Heh, she's a very special friend."_

"_Just a friend?"_

"_Not… for long. Or… not anymore." The boy's cheeks went from a light pink to a bright red._

"_Not anymore? Anything happen at that party of yours last night?"_

"_Don't be so nosy now. I'm not going to talk about it."_

"_Not talking about your latest sex story?" Izumi gasped breathlessly. "Are you in love?"_

_He guffawed and patted the woman's shoulder. "Hurry up and get undressed so you can get to work." He groaned before taking his leave to let Izumi undress._

"_Ahhh, you are! How exciting! You DO have a heart!" Izumi jeered at Seiya's retreating back. _

_She continued giggling to herself as she changed outfits, the stain issue irritating her no more. The brunette chucked her clothing across the living room for Seiya to pick up and began to work on her favor for him. She started by carefully applying the tiny diamonds in the places where some were missing. Thankfully this ring was perfectly default and whatever she had packed away was ideal for the ring. Lastly, she polished off the pink pearl and band to the point where she could see her own reflection in the shine. For Seiya not being a jewelry designer, he did have a good estimate on how long it would take to fix it up and she took some sweet time studying the trinket once again when she finished. Still, she was not able to get over its vintage and traditional style; she was surprised someone could keep something like this around for so long. Smiling to herself, Izumi effortlessly slipped the ring on her finger and held it up for further admiration. Maybe after she got her hotdog, she would pay a visit to some jewelry stores to find something like this…_

_Suddenly, she was scared out of her awe by a knock at the door._


	14. The Realization

_**Please let me keep on loving you**_

_Pale hands clutched red silk sheets so tightly that she still felt her nails dig into her palm. Each breath she took was more like a heave due to the heaviness of the air. Room temperature now felt blistering and the rotating fan was not providing any necessary circulation. The air hung with the smell of lust, and yet, was sweetly smothering. On the other side of the room, noises of chatter, laughter and drinking continued oblivious to what went on behind the closed bedroom door._

_She constantly bit at her lower lip to contain her voice to instead let out soft moans. As much as she wanted to cry out, she knew—even in her intoxicated shape—that she did not want to draw attention to Seiya's room. Her shoulders and back moved erratically with every wave of euphoria that swept her body. Usagi prayed silently for a release and tensed her body in anticipation. Her tongue peeked from her mouth and wetted her lips while she climbed up to her summit. She was almost there; she was so close, so absolutely-_

_Oh God, why did it stop? It was as though she had slipped and started tumbling down the mountain back to the plateau. She had sweat that had accumulated on her forehead, neck and chest that glistened in the soft light that from the dimly lit lamp and it was all for nothing… so far. Usagi kept heaving as Seiya slowly crawled on top of the flustered blonde, taking his time to kiss his way up her body. His hands gently skimmed over her contours starting with her hips and roamed upward over her stomach, ribs and naked chest. Usagi got shivers as she felt the slight use of his tongue on her salty skin. Though the situation was still arousing, Usagi was able to calm herself until the musician's lips reached her neck._

"_Why did you stop?" she exhaled._

_Seiya chuckled deeply while still focusing on planting his wet kisses on the blonde's chin. "I didn't want you to finish before it got started."_

"_Oh… Okay." Usagi groaned. "I'm ready if you are…"_

_She did not have to tell him again. Seiya sealed the deal by taking her lips in one last searing kiss while he reached over to his nightstand to open the drawer. Usagi heard him fumble around for a bit, often hearing the sound of crackling plastic. For such a simple noise, she suddenly grew a lump in her throat while all the butterflies were suddenly released in her stomach all at once. She closed her eyes, coming to the realization that this was it…_

_She felt Seiya sit up and mildly shuffle around, but still choosing to keep her eyes closed, afraid that if she saw anything she would back out immediately. Though Usagi had never been so sure to want to do this at this very moment, she still felt timid and felt herself tighten in keenness. The arousal and alcohol combination took her sights for a dizzying spin and at this point, she was feeling too weak to even think._

_He laid himself on top of her once again and rested his forehead against the odango-head's. From her heavy breathing, he could sense that the insistent Odango could still get nervous even when drunk. Seiya smiled and cupped her cheek._

"_You okay?"_

_Usagi simply nodded, loudly swallowing her fear._

"_Just let me know if you want to stop…" Seiya continued._

_He adjusted himself in between her straddle for proper entry while Usagi braced herself by taking a fistful of his open shirt by his shoulders. She felt the tip of his member against herself and mentally sized it up to be way to big for a smooth entrance; on instinct, she tried to close and lock her legs together, but they only tightened their hold around Seiya's waist enough for him to slowly penetrate._

_Usagi widened her eyes and choked on her breath as she felt a stretching pain that flew off the charts. She would have almost torn off chunks of Seiya's shirt had he not paused._

"_Oh God… how far are you in…?" she whispered with anxious eyes._

_Seiya shook his head. "Not all the way."_

"_So like… half way?"_

_Again, he shook his head. "Not even."_

_She had never felt more disappointed to hear such an answer. It hurt so bad… why did women have to go through so much pain for their first time? Seiya must have caught onto her distress by the sounds of her pain-ridden whimpers._

"_Do you want me to stop?"_

_Usagi wanted to cry out an enthusiastic 'yes' and then never try it again. But they were already in the moment and she knew sheer satisfaction lay on the other side of the discomfort. She remembered hearing from her mom that it only hurt for a little bit and then it is only pure pleasure from there on out. And she was with Seiya; she did not want to let him down and she knew that she would only want to do this with him. Sex is something you share with the one you love and he was it. Just only a few more minutes… Once again, she gulped loudly and shook her head._

"_No… keep going."_

_He gave her no warning… or time to collect herself. In one movement, he was finally all the way in and completely surrounded. Opposing his female partner under him, he let out a deep, passionate groan at the feeling of her tightness and warmth and his body tensed with ecstasy. Though the whole world would have felt Usagi's pain by how loudly she yelped._

_

* * *

_

It was amazing how fragile a memory could become; something so sweet could be tarnished in an instant. It was said that the only thing people could not rob of you were your feelings and reminiscences, but Usagi felt like that that had somehow been done… and of course to her, of all people for it to happen to. But by whom: Minako, Seiya… herself? Maybe it was a complete mixture, but it was done. Usagi regarded the night she lost her virginity as somewhat beautiful, full of love and passion. Instead of getting drunk, waking up with a sore feeling between your legs and not remembering the guy's name the next morning, she could safely say she lost it to the one person she loved and trusted. Something was made that night instead of just "had."

But who really made love and who had sex at the time? It seemed that while both were lost in the moment, it meant two completely different things to each person. Usagi could not help but feel she drew the short straw and was the poor sap that thought it was all for love that night.

She recalled when he started to establish a rhythm after he had fully penetrated her, like a slow pulsing. She could see and almost feel the pleasure in Seiya: the way he groaned, the way his body would get taut each time he would slide himself back into her, the way he breathed on her neck. For Usagi, it still hurt during the first few thrusts—as delicate as they were—but then she began to feed off of her partner's delight… and it soon turned to bliss for her, mentally and physically.

And now, just a few days later, it had become agony for her brain. The idleness of a teenager's time that was allowed due to summer break gave the odango-head more time to think about it with fewer distractions. The psychological torment had caused her to avoid her friends and hole up in her room for hours on in.

Though the summer was absolutely beautiful: the sun shone brilliantly every day, kids and teenagers alike frolicked in the streets and community swimming pools and beaches… it was a time for shallow crushes, popsicles and bonfires. But all Usagi could do was think about how much she had been hurt… again.

The odango-head's negativity was too much for her purple-haired mother to bear. So finally after a couple of days of Usagi drowning in her sorrows by herself in her room and going through the last gallon of ice cream, she practically resigned to kicking her child out of the house. Of course Ikuko would know NOTHING of what was ailing her only daughter and could get only that out of her. But whatever it was, it was not the Tsukino way to sulk your way through life about it. Her odango-haired progeny did not try to put up much of a fight, though; she was starting to get headaches due to a mild case of cabin fever and her lack of major movement. And the sun felt nice on her skin.

Usagi chose the Crown as her destination and texted her blonde counterpart for a simple meeting for some strawberry sodas. Knowing Minako, she would bet that she knew where to find some shenanigans to get into later in the evening; she was desperate for anything to take her mind off of Seiya.

Upon walking through the glass sliding door, she bumped into a hard, animate object. Usagi let out a loud, "oomph" and took a few steps back to catch herself from falling. In her attempt to apologize to the person, she looked into a beautiful pair of sapphire eyes. Her heart and breathing paused for a moment to register whom it was she just ran into.

"Usa?"

She forced herself to breathe in through her nose to keep from fainting at the sight of the last person she wanted to see.

"Hey, Mamoru."

He smiled genuinely at her presence, a smile that used to make Usagi go weak. "It's been a while. How are you?"

But it seemed that he did not have any effect on the blonde like he used to. When she would usually respond to his grins by smiling back or giddily fidgeting, all he saw her do now was avoid any and all eye contact with a face stricken with depression. It had been a few weeks since he has even talked to her and he had to admit, he did miss her.

"I'm great. Just meeting Mina here for a soda."

Mamoru suddenly grew curious of Usagi's demeanor; she did not even TRY to sound believable. He hoped that there was still a little something within her heart that still felt for him that he could use to his advantage to see what was wrong. Usually when he was catch sight of Usagi at school, it never failed to see Seiya as well. So where was he? That day when the almost-kidnapping scandal broke out and she left with the idol, Mamoru told himself that she would come running back one day. Seiya was a ticking time bomb and Usagi—so young, so naïve—would find out the hard way that he was not the smart choice. And by the looks of her, that day might have been sooner than he thought.

"That's cool. Wanna sit with us while you wait for Minako?" He kept a front of all smiles and optimism.

Usagi raised a brow. "Us?"

Mamoru stepped aside and motioned at a table with a familiar black-haired girl occupying a seat who was busy texting on her phone at the moment. Usagi could feel herself roll her eyes and sigh in annoyance. Why now of all times did Mamoru want to try to play nice? She was really in no mood for this bullshit right now. She did not really even want to mingle with anyone except with Minako who she could actually confide in.

Usagi must have been too caught up in her thoughts to realize she still had not responded to Mamoru's invitation. He grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"C'mon. We need to catch up. It'll be fun." The tennis pro winked.

Fun? Life was far from it. But the blonde had no choice: Mamoru was already dragging her over to the table before she could answer or protest.

"Oh hi, Mamoru-kun. Who is thi- oh wait, we've met before. Usagi, right?" Rei looked up from her cell phone and Usagi watched her face brighten as her and Mamoru neared her. It came as quite a surprise; why would some person be so excited to see someone else after they only met once? The odango-head was finding happiness utterly nauseating.

"Hey," Usagi gave a pitiful wave to Rei. "Nice to see you again."

"You too! Why don't you have a seat with us?" Rei gestured for a seat across the table. Again, her cheerfulness was enough to make Usagi want to shoot herself. But Mamoru scooting out a chair and guiding her over to sit interrupted her thoughts. She cursed gravity as the edge of the seat hit the back of her knees and locked her legs forward, making her plop on the chair harshly. With a crooked eye, she watched the black-haired man seat himself between the two ladies.

"How's your summer break going so far?" The violet-eyed priestess inquired toward the bitter blonde.

Usagi shrugged. "Pretty well. I'm just taking it easy for now."

"Nice, nice," Rei nodded. "Nothing wrong with that. A break from school is a break from school no matter how you slice it."

The blonde nodded, feigning agreement. "Yeah. It's been pretty boring so far."

"Ah, well, surely you have some plans with your friends to go to Shirahama or something…" Rei was about to add onto her question but then suddenly stopped herself and pointed at the odango-head. "Wait, weren't you the one hanging out with Seiya Kou when I met you?"

Oh the joy of having a rocky relationship with none other than the most famous teenager in the nation. You could not forget about him since his face and voice was on everything from TV to radio to the windows of every record store and EVERYONE knew his name. Usagi felt slapped in the face every time she was reminded of him and Rei's blow felt the harshest. For today, it was slap #14 and it was barely 4:00 PM.

"Yes, she was." Mamoru interjected. Usagi's gaze snapped towards his direction to see him nonchalantly mixing his chocolate milkshake with a straw giving her a look… almost as if he knew what was going on between her and Seiya. If they were not in a public place partly ran by a person she respected, she would have dunked the cold treat all over his head. She could feel to her very core that he said that on purpose…

"That's right! So do you still talk to him? Do you have any plans with him for the break?" Rei's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

Usagi looked back over at Rei and collected herself for the time being. "He's in Hawaii for the week. Him, Taiki and Yaten are shooting a music video for their next single." She was not about to tell Rei that she was no longer on speaking terms with the celebrity.

The raven-haired girl giggled. "Listen to you: on a first name basis with all of them."

"Yeah well every girl at Tenth Street is on a first name basis with Seiya." Mamoru once again let himself be heard, snarling as he stated his comment.

Rei scoffed and playfully hit Mamoru on the arm. "Oh Mamoru-kun, don't be so mean." She looked toward Usagi and shrugged. "He's just jealous of him since he's Motoki's favorite Light."

"What's there to be jealous of: how he whores himself to all females of the school or how he's incapable of caring about anyone but himself? If there's anyone I'm glad not to be, it's that guy."

"Mamoru!" The black-haired priestess looked truly appalled. "Stop talking about him in front of Usagi. He's her friend."

Both of the raven-headed teenagers were too busy squabbling to see Usagi reaching her limit. She had a hold on her skirt that would have squeezed the life out of a baby bird. She was never really good at ignoring anyone, particularly if they were talking about a friend. As much as she was pissed at Seiya, she could not believe the words that were coming out of Mamoru. Each remark stung as if she were the one they were talking about. She just could not help it… how dare he…

"Well I'm hoping not for long," Mamoru argued back at Rei. "Seiya will do whatever it takes until some stupid chick puts out and then he's off to his next mission. Fortunately for Usagi here, she hasn't opened the muffin shop for him and it's only a matter of time before he gives up and gives into the wisdom of his second head and bothers some other girl." He switched his gaze to the fuming odango-head. "Am I right?"

Gruffly, Usagi stood up, letting the chair fall onto its back since she rose with such force. She locked on target to a bewildered Mamoru.

"Don't you dare talk about him like that! You don't know a goddamned thing about him, so how can you say such horrible things? Maybe if you would take the time to get to know someone, you would know that all you've said about him isn't true! Sure he has his flaws but that doesn't give you the right to talk about his as if you don't have any of your own! You don't know what he's been through! You don't know who he is! So stop acting like a spoiled, insecure brat and shut the fuck up!"

Turning on her heel Usagi took her leave out of the Crown, unaware and apathetic of the jaw-dropped faces of Rei and Mamoru, along with a few close bystanders.

Just as the odango-head moved through the sliding door, she came close to running into Minako who was ten minutes late… by the way. The red-bowed girl was about to greet her friend when Usagi took a hold of her wrist and started dragging her down the sidewalk back the way Minako came.

"Ow! Usagi, what are you doing?"

"Change of plans."

* * *

"Alright guys, we only have another hour left of sunlight. Get your shit together so we can get this thing done!"

An obvious livid director barked out orders and his grievances through a bullhorn as many set members scurried around to arrange the light positions and set props. The orange sunset was disappearing slowly over the watery horizon and a part of the moon could already be seen in the sky. They had to work fast to get that portion of filming done before it turned nighttime.

"Yes guys. We're in a gorgeous paradise with a beautiful beach and water so let's get the fuck out of this hellhole!" Yaten's sarcastic comment went heard by Taiki and Seiya and a few make-up artists as they touched up the faces of the band members. The statement earned a few light chuckles before the assistant to the director approached the trio.

"Seiya, yo, we're having a bit of trouble with you."

The black-haired idol cocked a brow. "How so?"

"Yeah, we're liking the saddened, desperate energy. But that's not coming until the end. We need you actually acting like you're happy and in love with this girl: smile a little bit and, I don't know, maybe look at her every now and then. You're looking like you're sad that you have to act like you like her."

Seiya sighed and nodded in understanding. He ran his hand through his hair and rubbed it back down his face in exhaustion. "Alright. I'll do it."

The assistant director gave him a thumbs-up and ran off the set, behind the cameras.

"What's with you?" Taiki inquired.

"I'm just jet-lagged, that's all." Seiya quickly responded.

"You just chugged a huge Red Bull. Your mind is somewhere else. Stop thinking about Usagi for a bit and get your head in the game. You'll see her when we get back." Yaten showed no mercy.

"No I won't."

Mauve met lime green as the tallest and shortest Light exchanged confused glances. Telepathically they asked each what the deal was and silently deducted with shrugs and mouth movements that maybe it was just Seiya having another one of his bitch fits.

"All thanks to you, she hates me." Seiya ended his sentence with a glare toward Yaten.

The silver-haired boy held his hands up in defense and looked around at the make-up artists and Taiki to see if they were hearing the same crazy accusations he was. "Whoa, what? I didn't do anything!"

"Obviously you did. You said something to Minako who told Usagi that got her completely pissed off at me. What the fuck did you say?" Seiya took a step toward Yaten and he took the cue to take a step back.

"What are you talking about? Where is this coming from-"

"Hey guys, what's going on? I'm waiting! Let's go! Chop, chop!" The director called from his bullhorn.

"We need five minutes!" Taiki called out while holding up his outstretched hand before dragging the bickering boys by the arms to their trailer. The director's complaints were rendered moot once they made it up the stoops and into the mobile home. Both Seiya and Yaten released themselves from Taiki's grasp and paced to different ends.

"Okay, what the fuck?" Taiki crossed his arms and looked down at his band mates.

"Don't look at me! I'm not the one yelling out all these made-up accusations." Yaten defended.

The tall Light looked over at Seiya. "What's wrong?" He had been waiting to get to the bottom of Seiya's actions for a few days now. Ever since they had left for Hawaii, he was uncharacteristically quiet, depressed and on edge. Taiki did not care if they did take over five minutes; he knew Seiya was the star and it would be him that would make or break this video production with this pissy mood he was in.

"It started off on Sunday morning," Seiya began, just as willing to get this out of his system as the other two, "I called Izumi over to fix Odango's ring that she left the night before. I was going to surprise her with it after this week. But she came over and Izumi answered the door in my boxers and shirt…"

"And what was she doing with those things on?" Taiki interrupted.

"Some kid spilled ketchup on her or something on the bus. I washed her clothes for her 'cause I didn't want her leaving without fixing Odango's ring."

Both Taiki and Yaten knew this story was not going to end well. The lime-eyed shorty scrunched his nose. "She thought you were cheating on her with Izumi? Ew…"

"I chased her down to the elevators and I found her bawling." The raven-haired teenager projected his voice; purposely trying to talk over Yaten's little comment. "I tried to explain everything but she wasn't having it. She mentioned something about you and what you told Minako and then Minako told her. It was something along the lines of trying too hard for sex." Seiya continued as painful as it was to recall. "Among other insults."

"Okay, I still don't know what the hell you're talking about." Yaten shrugged.

"Then why would she say those things?" Seiya's voice started to rise but Taiki putting a hand on his shoulder soon calmed him.

"Listen guys, we need to get to the bottom of this right here, right now!" Taiki ordered. "We're wasting time and money squabbling like little girls. Now let's backtrack a little bit," he turned toward the bandleader, "Seiya, when did you say this happened?"

"Sunday."

"And what about Saturday night?"

"She was fine up until the next morning."

Taiki turned to Yaten. "Alright, so what did you say to Minako Sunday morning?"

He shrugged. "I didn't talk to her on Sunday. We barely texted."

"What about Saturday night? Try to remember, or if you need to, we can do drunken recall. The fridge in the back is filled from front to back." Taiki pointed behind himself with his thumb toward a mini fridge nestled between the sink and cabinets.

"Even if I were drunk, I won't remember a goddamned- Ohhhh wait…" Yaten was ready to play the defensive again before it finally hit him, that moment when Minako started acting funny.

Seiya and Taiki leaned forward in eagerness. "What?"

He began to laugh nervously and scratched the back of his head. "So you guys are gonna totally laugh at this…"

"WHAT?"

Yaten backed himself into the wall of the trailer and knew he had to fess up. "Well, I might have said a… TEENSY… little comment." His voice cracked when he described its size and he helped with their mental image by holding his hand up, his pointer finger and thumb only centimeters apart. His eyes were squinting, but he opened them up slightly to observe Taiki and Seiya glaring sharp daggers at him. He knew he were to get a verbal beating if he told them or not.

"Mina and I were sitting on the couch talking and she brought you and Usagi up and how cute of a couple you guys were, blah, blah… And I can't remember for sure but I might have said something along the lines of 'Seiya pursued Usagi all that time just to get into her pants.' I don't know, I could be wrong…"

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

"BUT…!" Yaten scrunched his body in a ball. "I also said that even assholes can learn to love!"

The lead musician paused in his attack, his outstretched hands inches from Yaten's lifeline. "What?"

Initially, Yaten said that last sentence too fast for anyone to comprehend. From behind his hands that covered his face for protection, he spoke slower and clearer. "I also said that even assholes can learn to love… But when I looked over, she was gone…" little by little, the silver-haired boy lowered his arms once he figured it was safe for him to do so. "And then I guess the rest is history."

"Thanks for sticking up for me," Seiya sarcastically mumbled and crossed his arms.

"Listen, I'm sorry! I didn't realize it would become an issue! I didn't think that Minako would take it out of context."

"Well, how do you think she would've taken it?" Taiki rested his hands on his hips. "Anyway, so that settles it, right?" He looked over to Seiya who still did not look happy.

He snorted. "Not really. Odango still hates me."

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you." The tall Light argued while rolling his eyes.

"Well besides telling me that I'm an asshole, she wasted her time on me and calling me disgusting, she said that the only good thing that came out of us having sex was that she lost it to a celebrity. What do you make of that? Maybe hate is too strong, maybe it's more along the lines of revulsion?" He meant to sound sarcastic and angry… but one little sniffle and a show of watery eyes gave away how he truly felt.

Yaten and Taiki could not think of words to say about it. They had not known Usagi to be adept of such things to come out of her mouth and they could not remember the last time they saw Seiya so wound up and upset. And here he was about to cry?

"Seiya, are you crying?" Taiki asked.

Again, the black-haired boy sniffled and turned his back to his cousins. "No."

Both boys strode to either side of their bandleader and gave him comforting pats on his back and shoulders.

"I don't get why it's so hard." Seiya pleaded through subtle sobbing. "Nothing I do is ever right. It's always something between us. I don't know what to do. I love her so much… I've never felt this way about anyone in my life. I want to be with her forever but I'm so exhausted, you guys… I can't keep doing this. I can't keep explaining myself every time…"

Taiki bit his lip and nodded. "Yeah, I'd say your relationship is Murphy's Law in love form. You and her… are just in the wrong places at the wrong time. You both are young and still have a lot to learn. For all you know, you could be getting all your fights out of the way and making way for a smooth ride for the rest of your lives."

That last sentence was chuckle-worthy for Seiya. "I don't want to give her up… but I don't want to keep on fighting."

"You have to!" Yaten exclaimed. "Now that you've found someone who you truly care about, you can't just give up. You can't let her go. As hard as it may be, you'll never find anyone like her. And then you'll live on the rest of your life wondering 'what if?'"

Seiya wiped his nose and the few tears he let escape down his cheeks. "Still, I don't know if she'll let me fix anything. She was so upset… I've tried calling her before we left but… nothing. She never wants to see me again."

"Seiya, if it's meant to be, it's meant to be…" The tall musician regrettably responded. "But you don't know: she's probably missing you as much as you're missing her."

"Yeah, we'll see about that."

"We just don't want the old Seiya back. We like this new committed one which will probably get us better press in the future." Taiki answered cheerfully, to cut through the somber mood of the trailer.

"Yeah… you don't know how awkward it was to talk with some random pap about you and your latest screw." Yaten added on.

"Just when I thought you were actually looking out for ME." Seiya snorted.

"Sure we are!" Taiki gave one last pat on the back for Seiya and began to take his leave. "C'mon, enough talking; let's get this thing done so we can actually have a couple of days of vacation."

Yaten soon followed suit but halted briefly right before he was to step outside the door. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Seiya nodded vigorously. "Yeah, I'll be there in a minute…" He used the chest part of his shirt to dab at his eyes carefully so as to not ruin the makeup newly applied only five minutes ago.

Just when he figured himself composed enough to step back on set, the door abruptly opened to expose a young woman in a barely-there bikini.

"Hey, I knew I'd find you here!" She smiled.

For a split second, Seiya let his male urges take over and allowed his eyes roam over her body… with a perfectly toned physique. She was a model/actress that his label hired to play his on-screen love interest. And for an amateur, she was not too bad. He did not really have time to get to know her personally—due to them having to awkwardly act out kissing and touching—but she seemed nice enough. What was her name again: Miwa, Awa…?

"Oh, sorry. I'm coming." Seiya assured and started walking toward her. Once he reached the steps that lead to the door, the model did not budge from her place that was blocking the exit.

"I talked to the director and convinced him it would be more romantic to shoot at night," she shrugged, "he just needs the other two for now and won't need us until another half hour. I thought we could take this time to practice."

Seiya nodded slowly, picking up on the slight raspy, lustful tone of her voice. "Oh… practice what?"

She giggled and blushed. "Well, all the kissing and stuff. I don't want it to look so awkward in front of the camera." She pulled the door shut and stepped up the stairs to reach Seiya's level and tugged at his shirt.

"Shall we get started?"

* * *

Taiki and Yaten stood several feet away, intently listening to the guidance of the assistant director and where he wanted to strategically place them for the next scene. All three soon practically jumped out of their skin when they heard the front door of the trailer swing open and slam against the outside. Out clomped the bare-footed, bikini-clad model down the stoops and through the sand like she was on a mission… to get AWAY from the trailer. A few seconds later, Seiya poked his head from the entry and looked around before his eyes locked with those of his band mates and the assistant director. With a playful grin, he casually strutted down the steps and slowly trudged through the sand toward the three awe-struck and confused boys. He had his cell phone in hand, dialing a set of numbers before putting it to his ear. Yaten and Taiki waited until he got close enough to start investigating.

"What the hell was that?" Spat Yaten.

Seiya simply shrugged; phone still in hand and to his ear. "Some people just can't take, 'no' for an answer."

"Who are you calling?" Asked the other one.

"You guys were right…" The bandleader retorted before her voicemail came on.

* * *

Curled in a tight ball, Usagi nestled herself in the far right corner of the couch and lazily watched TV. Though she could not tell anyone what was on despite her hypnotic stare at the picture box. It had become a habit of hers for about to week to "watch" TV while playing a whole other program in her head—starring Seiya.

Her phone vibrating on the side table, signaling that she had received a voicemail interrupted her trance. Funny… she did not hear her phone ring. She did not know who left her a message but her heart began to beat rapidly at the thought; could it be him?

Again, Ikuko striding into the living room disrupted her thoughts once again. The older woman was staring down at her hand in wonderment of the ring on it.

"Usagi… did you take my ring?"

Ring? What ring? "Um what?" She gulped. Oh shit…

Ikuko turned her hand around for Usagi to view the back of it. On her ring finger was the pink pearl ring, passed down from two generations so far and now shinier than ever. "Momma's ring. There were some diamonds missing and now they've been replaced. And the pearl looks polished. Did you take it somewhere to get it fixed?"

The blonde opened her mouth to answer but could only utter, "… No…."

That answered sufficed for the maternal figure. "Ah, well your father must have done it. I've taught him well." She exited the living giggling to herself to start preparing dinner.

Diamonds replaced? A polished pearl? She did not even think her father knew of the ring or its significance. Usagi was not even the last person to be wearing it; it was that old slut that was at Seiya's apartment who last had it on her ratty finger. The blonde knew that the when she wore it to the party that it was still in its old form with missing diamonds and murky shimmer. So what happened in between then?

It hurt her brain too much to try to connect the dots. The blinking light on her phone caught her attention once again, the voicemail still needing to be heard.

When she called it, the recording told her that it was originally from four days earlier. God her service sucked! And once the message was played, all that could be heard was silence with the slight sound of the wind blowing in the background. Suddenly a familiar male voice broke the tense stillness.

"… _I miss you…"_

*Click*

International calling always had a huge lag time. How many more of these messages is she going to get? The sound of his voice was full of desperation and devotion. It finally broke her down and she buried her face into the arm of the couch to control her silent sobs.

* * *

"Wait, wait, you're going in there NOW?"

"Uh, yeah!"

"Do you know what you're going to say?"

"Well, yeah…"

"What are you going to tell them?"

"The truth! God, what's wrong with you?"

Seiya pushed his sunglasses further up on his nose and nervously ran his hands through his hair. "I just hope you know what you're doing…"

"What's there to know? As long as I keep Minako quiet, it should be cake."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Seiya pleaded. Even from behind the shades, Yaten could see the despondency in his deep blue eyes.

"God, look at you. I've never seen you so self-conscious." The shorty shook his head and turned around to proceed through glass sliding doors. "Don't worry!"

* * *

"Ahh I can't believe it, Yaten comes home today!" Minako bounced and drummed her fingers on the table from her innermost place in the Crown booth.

Ami and Makoto, who sat across from the two blondes, smiled. The fourth member of the group failed to share in the enthusiasm.

"Hopefully he came back with a gorgeous Hawaiian tan." Minako continued with stars in her eyes, looking off in the distance.

Ami covered her mouth to contain her giggles. "Actually, I heard that he forgot to use tanning oil one day from mine and Taiki's Skype conversations. Taiki said he was demoted to first lobster in the video."

"Lobster or not, sunburns can still turn into really good tans." The red-bowed flaxen defended in her boyfriends honor.

The conversation soon became awkwardly quiet once it would be Usagi's turn to pipe up about Seiya. The odango-head had not contributed at all to the discussion when they first met up at the Crown and had been concentrating on mixing her drink more than participating.

But now Usagi found an opening to talk.

"Did I tell you guys that he kept calling me?"

All three friends looked at each other, having a sense of the person she was talking about… yet not.

"Who?" Makoto questioned.

"Seiya…"

Minako took a swig of her diet soda. "Wow, that's… interesting."

"How so?" Usagi asked as she looked over at her blonde counterpart.

"I mean that it's very confusing as to why he would still be pursuing you." Minako shrugged.

"I know… it confused me too. From what you said and what Seiya's doing, nothing is making sense." Usagi finally stopped stirring her drink and looked up at friends. "What do you-"

"Yaten!" Minako's A.D.D. kicked in once she took in the sight of her boyfriend entering the Crown. He donned thick-rimmed, girly sunglasses and a red nose. Giving a slight wave to the booth full of girls, he approached the table without a greeting.

He pointed to the two blondes sitting next to each other. "You and you! We need to talk."

Minako and Usagi gave each other bewildered looks but decided to oblige Yaten anyway. They hastily followed him over to a secluded corner of the parlor where he began his mini inquisition.

"Yaten, what's going on?" Minako questioned.

"Usagi, I'm going to need you to tell me, from your point of view, what happened last weekend between you and Seiya." Yaten demanded, ignoring his girlfriend's question.

"Why?"

"Let's not dance around the issue here, alright? I know that some shit went down between you and Seiya and I know it started off with something I said." The silver-haired idol glanced at Minako. "Now besides what I said, what happened Sunday morning?"

The odango-head sighed; vexed that Yaten was trying to force her to spill the details. "Why do I have to tell you?"

"Oh my God, really?" Yaten threw his arms up. "Are you really gonna play this game? I'm trying to help you out."

"Okay, okay! Let's all stay civilized here." Minako interjected, trying to play referee and pacifist. "Look, that morning after we left, Usagi realized she had left her mother's ring at your apartment. So she went back to go get it and once she got up there, some other woman in Seiya's boxers and shirt answered the door."

Yaten nodded. "Did you happen to catch the name of that woman?"

"Izumi… or something." Usagi folded her arms. "The doorman mistook me as her and that's how I slipped in without having to notify Seiya… coincidentally letting me catch him in the act."

"Ugh…" the Light rubbed his forehead. "I guess you don't know who Izumi Ma is. Don't you read magazines ever?"

Minako's eyes lit up. "Oh, you mean the jewelry designer? You know her? Oh my God, I love her stuff!" She dropped her jaw and placed both hands on her cheeks while looking to her friend. And then it occurred to her… "Ohhh… shit."

"Yeah, and besides that, she's old. There's no way Seiya would sleep with her anyway."

"What? She's thirty-three." Minako cocked a brow.

"Yeah… old." Yaten argued and then turned his interest back on Usagi. "Anyway, he called her over to fix your ring. Somehow she got stains on her clothes and had to borrow some of Seiya's until they were cleaned. That's why she was dressed the way she was."

The memory of Ikuko displaying the repaired ring played through Usagi's mind, her heart falling at the thought. She was there to fix her ring…? But it was just too much of a coincidence… it had to be a coincidence! Then again, why was it that Yaten was telling her?

"Why are you here telling me this instead of Seiya?" Usagi timidly rephrased her question.

"He tells me you can't stand the sight of him right now. And I feel partly responsible for this whole shit storm and I'm taking it upon myself to defend Seiya's honor. Now… are we good?"

"No!" Minako snapped. "That might have been a huge misunderstanding, but we can't ignore the fact that Seiya still tried to buy his way to Usagi, just like he does every other girl. I mean, the shopping, the phone, the dog… it's like he was trying to buy his way to sex."

Yaten scoffed and through his head back in exasperation. "Okay, Usagi, do you feel that way?"

She shrugged. "Well, Mina does have a point…"

"You know, I thought that with what you know about Seiya, you would understand. Realize that Seiya has grown up in show business ever since he could fucking walk. It's a shitty industry to get into; everyone's greedy, shallow and selfish. Almost every single person he's encountered has only wanted money or a status or THINGS from him, even his own goddamned father. And it's completely fucked up his mind. Now, he equates someone's feelings for him with how much shit he can buy them. So, Usagi, feel special, because the more shit that he buys you, the more he likes you and wants you to like him. All those other girls, yeah he might have crushed on them and bought him a necklace or two, but in the end, he realized that that was all they wanted from him: necklaces. And then he moved on. But you… it's on a whole other level. Seiya knows that you aren't in it for the money or status, yet he doesn't have the mental capacity to realize that he doesn't have to take you out shopping or buy you a dog. He'll just keep buying you more and more things to keep you satisfied with him. It's the only thing that makes him feel worthy of you. It's not that he's trying to buy his way into your pants… he's trying to buy your love but in the most sincere and caring way. Do you understand me?"

Both girls stood silently to register all that Yaten had explained… all the pieces now coming together. Now that Minako had an idea of what he was talking about, she suddenly felt unspeakable dread about the whole situation. Looking over at her best friend, she could tell she shared in her sentiments. But she still needed to get one thing out of the way.

"But… you said that Seiya pursued Usagi the whole time to get into her pants… how do you explain that?" The red-bowed girl meekly stammered.

Yaten rolled his eyes. "I guess you missed the part at the end when I said 'even assholes can learn to love.' Though I guess you had already run off by then…"

Usagi tightened her mouth to hold in her sobbing and let her silent tears fall down her cheeks, the memory of her words to Seiya on the elevator piercing through her heart.

"He's outside, by the way," Yaten added, cocking his head back toward the entrance.

Those five words kick-started Usagi's heartbeat and she looked out of the Crown windows to try to spot him out. Though she could not pick out that long black ponytail, she had faith in what Yaten said. Swiftly, she began jogging out of the parlor.

"Usagi, wai-" Minako began to go after her friend until Yaten practically clothes lined her.

"Ohhh no you don't! You've caused enough trouble with that mouth for the time being. You need to stop poking your ass in other people's business."

"Excuse me? Poking my ASS?"

* * *

She looked every which way she could: left, right, across the street, right again… Damn, she hoped Yaten was not just playing a cruel joke on her; if that was not he trying to play cupid then she was doomed in the ways of love for the rest of her life if all liars were that good at the game. She prayed to God momentarily that Seiya was in fact around and that their talk would go over well. Usagi would have killed for Seiya to show how sorry she was. After a few seconds, she decided to set her sights left and looked around the corner.

And there he sat, lonely on a concrete bench shaking his legs up and down in rigorous nervousness. His shoulders were propped high by his ears due to his arms sitting straight near his hips. Usagi felt a bit of comfort that she was not the only one utterly nerve-wracked about this dramatic reunion.

"Seiya!" the blonde called out.

Seiya's head snapped toward her almost as instantly as he stood up. He had the sudden urge to start running toward her to engage in some tight embracing action and drown her in a thousand kisses. It was final at this moment: even after all the ups and downs, laughter and crying, good and bad, he was still madly in love and completely delighted at her presence. Out of all the things in the world to say, all he could muster up out of a whirlpool of feelings was, "Hey…"

After a loud sniffle, Usagi began to think with her heart and strode toward the idol. She opened her arms wide and gave him the tightest embrace she has ever given. Soon she began to let it all out and sobbed loudly into his chest, wetting his tee shirt with her salty tears. Seiya encircled his arms around the weeping blonde and buried his nose into her hair. Oh how he missed this…

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Sputtered the odango-head. "I can't believe I said those things… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean a word. I'm so sorry…"

"Shh…" Seiya whispered. "It's okay." He placed his hand behind her head and weaved his fingers through her golden hair. He sighed as he smiled. "It's okay… I missed you…"

She looked up at him, her eyesight glossed by her waterworks. Usagi pursed her lips and blinked down a few more tears down her cheeks. "Why are you so stupid?"

Seiya's mood went from relief to astonishment; such a question caught the pop star off-guard. But that word was the only one that came to the blonde's mind at the moment. It was the best way she could describe the raven-haired boy's behavior.

"I've hurt you so many times, in so many ways. And every time you've forgiven me. No other person would have given me so many chances. So why, Seiya? Why do you keep coming back? Why do you still want me around?" Usagi finished.

Seiya looked down and lightly chuckled, now on the same level as her. "Let's sit down." He gingerly guided her over to the concrete bench before both teenagers took a seat. With a set of adoring eyes, the musician looked deeply into his first love's soul.

"If you want the truth… it's because you're the first real friend I've ever had…"

That was an answer she was definitely not expecting. Usagi lightly gasped and kept looking at Seiya, curious for the rest of his explanation.

"As sad as it sounds, it's the truth. I can't tell you how many times I've been used and abandoned… by my mom, my dad and subsequently everyone else that I thought was my friend. It was all the same from everyone: they'd be nice to me and I would give them everything in the world, only for them to get what they wanted out of me and never have anything to do with me after that. For a long time, it thought it was my entire fault; I thought I was the reason why I kept being left. I didn't know what was wrong with me. With my dad, so-called "friends" and producers, I concluded that I was the common denominator, so it HAD to be me. And I grew up thinking that every person in this world was greedier than the next.

"But then when I got into music, I thought it would be different. I thought: 'finally, people will like me now. They will see how talented I am and they'll HAVE to want to be my friend.' But it was just the same… if not worse. So after a while, I gave the world the middle finger and said, 'fuck it! If they're going to treat me like this, I can do just as much damage to them.' And that's what I did… With a little bit of cockiness, I used the easiest thing to my advantage: sex. Every conquest was another part of the game and another 'fuck you' to everyone who had ever hurt me. It was a pretty dark time too. I was falling down a spiral and ultimately had to turn to other means to make me happy; that's why we dabbled in drinking and drugs for a little bit. Taiki and Yaten were just along for the ride, but I was trying to escape the pain. Yet there was still that nagging feeling inside telling me, 'no matter what you do to them, it doesn't change a thing. They still don't like you.' So then I'd drink and sleep around more to shut it up.

"But then you came along. I knew from the beginning that you were different than all the others. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I liked you. I realized now it was because you didn't know who I was. You just thought I was some cocky asshole with a mission to make your life hell," Seiya chuckled. "You want to know why I keep coming back to you… it's because you're the only person in the world who likes me for me. And despite what everyone would tell you, you still stood by me. For whatever reason, you somehow found it in you to stick around. And from what I've been through my whole life, I'd be a damned fool to ever let you go. You couldn't care less about how much money I make, what status I can give you or that I'm a celebrity. I knew it meant shit to you. And even when you did realize what I am, you still treated me the same. You give me so much happiness to last a lifetime; more than any status, drug, drink or one-night stand could do for me. And I love you for it."

Usagi felt the sudden urge to just throw herself on him. Ever so tightly, she enclosed the idol's torso with her arms and buried her face in his shoulder. As many times she has seen him in a vulnerable state, she was completely touched by this moment. His sincerity in the confession moved her to love him more than she has ever loved a person. She finally saw that behind that womanizing, arrogant exterior, there was a little boy just wanting to have a friend… wanting to be loved.

"I'll always be here for you. I'll never leave you, Seiya." The blonde whispered.

He rested his forehead on the top of her hair, his lips lightly grazing her brow. "Did you mean what you said earlier?"

"Hmm…?"

"When you said… that you didn't mean anything you said last week. Do you mean that?" Seiya sounded meek.

Perplexed, Usagi still kept her head on his shoulder anyway. Where was he going with this? "Why?"

"I remember, on the elevator, you said that you loved me. Do you take that back too?"

He held such innocence in his voice; she could not help but smile. It suddenly dawned on her that she in fact did slip it in her tirade that she let herself love him. Sitting up slightly, she maintained that huge grin and it her face brightened when her eyes met those of Seiya's.

"No… that's the only thing I meant to say that day."

Seiya returned the smile and gently grabbed her chin. "I love you too, Odango." He planted his lips onto hers for a searing kiss that progressed to full passion rather quickly. The two were rather enjoying themselves too much that when Usagi changed positions, she bumped her purse over which made her cell phone fall out and land loudly on the sidewalk.

Both lip-locked teenagers giggled. "I'll get that." Seiya volunteered.

Apparently the impact of the phone hitting such a hard surface made the device completely light up. When the idol bent down to pick it up, he caught sight of her call history.

"Hey Odango, who's 'ass face' and why does he call so much?"

* * *

**End.**

**HOLY CHRIST ON A CRACKER, I'M DONE! I just wanted to extend a huge appreciation for all those who stuck it out with me and kept up with my updates… as slow as they were. I thank you for your readership and reviews. Y'all helped a bunch.**

**You haven't seen the last of me. ;)**

**I love you all!**


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